Designing for the technophobic, technologically advanced culture of Japan

Mention of Japan often conjures up ideas of dancing robots, Tokyo square light shows, and talking toilets. While these are all proud achievements of the culture, what most people don’t think about are the cash registers from the 80s and adults that don’t have an email address.

Japan is commonly thought of a nation of the future, so it’s a common misconception for designers targeting the Japanese market to think any advanced technology is welcome. The truth is that, while the country’s engineers regularly push the frontiers of science, everyday life in Japan is an amalgamation of life from different intervals of the last 50 years.

Photo credit: Moyan Brenn

Japanese culture is steeped in tradition, with some rituals dating back thousands of years. While this mentality of “the old ways are best” doesn’t necessarily inhibit technological research, it does affect its adoption. Remember, this is the country that officially rejected firearms and used swords as standard-issue weaponry until 1854.

Technology in Japan is spotty, at best. Smartphones have been happily integrated into most people’s lives with no aversion whatsoever, while less popular tech like e-readers is almost non-existent. The DVD and CD industries continue to dominate like it was the late 90s, and streaming video can’t seem to find a strong foothold, even though Japan boasts some of the fastest internet speeds in the world.

In a nutshell, Japan is a country where Blockbuster-esque DVD stores can still thrive next to a hotel staffed entirely by robots. How is such a vast dichotomy even possible?

UX before UX existed

“User experience” is a discipline that designs how the user feels — what they experience — when using a product. It’s a concept we’ve built our entire collaborative design app UXPin around, with features allowing designers to create and test prototypes more easily for user feedback well before the product’s launch.

When seen in the context of Japanese society, however, UX takes on a whole new meaning. Japanese customer service is unlike any other, with an emphasis on what other cultures would call “politeness,” but in reality goes much deeper. Without attempting to psychoanalyze the entire country, it’s safe to say that the Japanese, in general, are especially sensitive of the feelings of others.

Naturally, this extends to the service industry, with agents going above and beyond for customers so that they feel taken care of. Shopping isn’t just about getting what you need, it’s about having the experience being as painless as possible. This focus on the shopping experience is often isolated from other systems where “business is business,” but UX designers can immediately recognize the significance.

Photo credit: Moyan Brenn.

Japan’s UX-based market extends beyond customer service into rituals, another carry-over from the historical traditions. Experiences such as unwrapping a new product or opening a box hold great value to the culture — far greater than downloading and installing a product. Then there’s the art of collecting, in which a shelf of physical memories will triumph over a digital library any day.

These hands-on experiences are meaningful enough to overshadow the convenience of immediacy, which seems to take priority in Western markets. Designers catering to the Japanese market must prioritize these cultural nuances (some of which seem counterintuitive) or they risk creating efficient but unenjoyable products.

An old country in every sense

With habitation dating to 30,000 BCE and a hunter-gather culture documented at around 14,000 BEC, Japan has been a global player since early on. This millennia-spanning legacy certainly influenced its fascination with its own tradition, even before the distinctly Japanese culture as we know it emerged around 800 CE.

What to consider when creating products for Japanese markets