Awakening Japan through design: A talk event titled “Medical Issues and the Difficulties of Communicating” will be held on Friday, November 14th! Medical, engineering, and design experts come together across disciplines to transform industrial design into a force that moves society and industry. Image
URL: JIDA (Japan Industrial Design Association, Public Interest
Incorporated Association) Press Release: October 31, 2025 A talk event titled “Medical Issues and the Difficulty of Communicating” will be held on Friday, November 14th to awaken Japan through design! Medical, engineering, and design experts come together across disciplines to transform industrial design into a driving force for society and industry. JIDA (Japan Industrial Design Association, a public interest incorporated association), which promotes design in the expanding field of design, will host a talk event featuring medical, engineering, and design experts on the topic of “Medical Issues and the Difficulties of Communicating Them.”
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International Design Liaison Center on the 5th floor of Tokyo Midtown Tower on Friday, November 14, 2025. ■Application:
https://jida-ikoudesign-seminar2025.peatix.com/view In today’s medical field, “communicating correctly” and “reaching the point” are major challenges. Differences in perspective, such as between doctors and patients, developers and medical professionals, and researchers and those in the field, often make communication difficult. At this event, medical, engineering, and design experts will discuss the
“difficulties of communication” from their respective perspectives, explore hints for future collaboration and improvements, and learn from each other across disciplines. Leading experts from various fields will gather to share the challenges and initiatives they face in their respective fields. While the medical field may seem unique at first glance, it offers many lessons that can be applied to improving communication in other fields. Participants will also have the opportunity to exchange opinions with others from different
perspectives, share challenges, and reexamine their own efforts from a fresh perspective through group discussions. Design has the power to envision the future and allow people to experience it vicariously. This power is the catalyst that drives investment, policy, and technology, and advances society. JIDA aims to create “socially effective designs” that are suitable for the coming era, enhancing their value in both implementation and dissemination, and contributing to the evolution and development of industry and society.
https://www.jida.or.jp “Medical Issues and the Difficulty of Communicating” Talk Event Summary In today’s medical field,
“communicating correctly” and “reaching the message to the recipient” are major challenges. There are many situations where communication becomes difficult due to differences in position, such as between doctors and patients, developers and medical professionals,
researchers and those in the field, etc. At this event, experts in medicine, engineering, and design will talk about the “difficulties of communication” from their respective perspectives and explore hints for future collaboration and improvements. ■Date and time: Friday, November 14, 2025, 13:00-18:30 ■Application:
https://jida-ikoudesign-seminar2025.peatix.com/view *Application deadline: Thursday, November 13, 2025, 5:00 PM ■Venue: International Design Liaison Center, 5th Floor, Tokyo Midtown Tower (9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo) ■Capacity: 50 people ■Participation Fee (tax included): JIDA Members ¥3,300 / General ¥4,400 / Student Members ¥1,100 / General Students ¥2,200 ■Content: 13:00-13:10 Opening Remarks and Purpose Explanation – Nanae Yasuhara (Chair, JIDA Medicine, Engineering, and Design Collaboration Research Division) 13:10-13:35 Theme 1. From the perspective of medical professionals: Uncommunicated real-world experiences and limitations Masaki Matsuzuki (Department of Clinical Engineering, Mie University Hospital) 13:35-14:00 Theme 2. A medical information system developer’s perspective: Challenges and struggles after electronic medical record development Yutaka Uno (Biometrics Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation) 14:00-14:25 Theme 3. A Design Researcher’s Perspective: Design and Implementation of a Patient Explanation Support Tool Toshiyuki Watanabe (Tokyo University of Science, School of Advanced Engineering) 14:25-14:50 Theme 4. UI/UX Designer Practice: Striving for “Translation” Between the Field and Design Tomoko Muraki (Gyro Inc.) 15:00 – 16:10 Participant Group Discussion & Presentation 16:20 – 16:50 Panel Discussion (All Speakers) 17:00 – 18:30 Networking (Drinks & Snacks Will Be Provided) ■Speaker Profiles (Excerpts) ・Masaki Matsuzuki (Chief Clinical Engineer, Department of Clinical Engineering, Mie University Hospital) Engaged in management tasks, including medical equipment procurement, operation, and disposal planning. – Yutaka Uno (Researcher, Biometrics Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation) Promotes applied research on natural language processing in the medical field. Commercialized “MegaOak AI Medical Assist.” ・Toshiyuki Watanabe (Professor, Department of Functional Design Engineering, School of Advanced Engineering, Tokyo University of Science) Researches the fusion of medicine and design. Specializes in design studies and media design. ・Tomoko Muraki (Director/Designer, GYRO Inc.) Engaged in UI/UX design for medical devices for over 15 years. Promotes practical design with an emphasis on on-site observation. ■Organizer: Japan Industrial Design Association (JIDA), a public interest incorporated association Profession Committee/Medicine, Engineering, and Design Collaboration Research Group ■With cooperation from: Japan Institute of Design Promotion, a public interest incorporated foundation ■Inquiries: JIDA Secretariat jidasec@jida.or.jp or 03-3587-6391 【About the JIDA Medical-Engineering-Design Collaboration Research Group】 The purpose of this subcommittee is to improve the quality of design in Japan’s medical devices and healthcare products and promote awareness-raising activities. Centered around members with experience in the design of medical devices and healthcare products, the subcommittee works to address on-site issues. Another important role of the subcommittee is to communicate the value of design to industries and developers that have not yet fully adopted it. In addition, in order to understand the actual situation in the medical field, the subcommittee is working to create a system where advice can be received from medical
professionals. About JIDA (Japan Industrial Design Association, Public Interest Incorporated Association)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/99962/12/99962-12-2e4724f94ffa56d7fa9bf3714011f173-2282×2282.png Designing beyond Design Create a Mindful Future, Together. JIDA (Japan Industrial Design Association, Public Interest Incorporated
Association) is a public interest incorporated association established in 1952 as Japan’s first national design organization to promote industrial design. Industrial design has always played new roles over the years. Our mission is to preserve this expertise, explore the direction of change, and create new value for the social environment, business, and more. In 2021, the association changed its name to the current Japan Industrial Design Association, Public Interest Incorporated Association, and adopted the vision, “Designing beyond Design Create a Mindful Future, Together.” In the expanding field of design, we are working every day to create an active community as a public interest incorporated association that goes beyond the professional role of designers to educate society and the public about design. https://www.jida.or.jp
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/99962/12/99962-12-5a30abe6216d236dd6182d920e687e87-3900×2087.png ■JIDA membership composition https://www.jida.or.jp/members With the aim of creating a spiritually enriching future, we collaborate with experts, educators, government officials, and business leaders from a wide range of fields, with a view to expanding the field of design into lifestyles, experiences, and services, to engage in co-creation activities that contribute to the evolution and development of industry and society. ▶Regular members: Approximately 500 individuals, approximately 20 organizations and corporations Individuals who agree with the aims of the association and have three or more years of experience in industrial design and related professional work. ▶Supporting members: Approximately 70 corporations and organizations, approximately 20 individuals. ▶Student members: Annually About joining JIDA https://www.jida.or.jp/about/join 【Greetings from the Chairman】 “Turning product design into a driving force for society and industry” Having been involved in solving social issues and corporate
transformation in the field of product design for many years, I have recently come to feel strongly about the question of what is the essential impact that design should have on society? JIDA was founded in 1952, amid postwar reconstruction and rapid economic growth, with the goal of improving the quality of Japan’s industrial products and establishing the social value of design. For over 70 years since then, as a group of product design experts, we have worked in diverse fields, including industry, distribution, lifestyle and culture, education, and government, building a professional network that supports Japanese industry and life. An extension of our history is our unwavering mission: “Implementing a better future through design.” Looking around the world, we see numerous examples of product design serving as the starting point for innovation and driving economic and cultural change. The driving force behind this is its ability to visually visualize future lifestyles, products, and services, inspiring empathy and action. In Japan, too, we need to further disseminate this essential value of design throughout society. What’s needed now are designers who go beyond design and presentation to possess the integrated “knowledge and sensibility” to respond to complex challenges. JIDA is committed to creating an environment that fosters this next-generation hybrid talent, increasing the number of colleagues with the vision and drive to change society. Design has the power to envision the future and allow people to experience it vicariously. This power is what drives investment, policy, and technology, and serves as a catalyst for advancing society. JIDA advocates “socially effective design” appropriate for the coming era, and aims to enhance its value through both implementation and dissemination. Together with our members, let’s nurture and spread the power of design to envision the future and inspire action. Tomoaki Murata, Chairman, Japan Industrial Design Association (Public Interest Incorporated Association)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/99962/12/99962-12-cb0612c832c022b0fb7fb896b91656a1-1034×1034.jpg Graduated from the Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka City University. After leaving Sanyo Electric Design Center, he founded the Hers Experimental Design Institute in 1986. He currently operates as a design think tank that supports everything from design thinking to planning and design development. He advocates practical methods of “design thinking,” such as the SSFB method, a “design thinking method for behavior,” and the “emotional value hexagon graph.” The company has received 219 design awards both domestically and internationally, including the G Mark Gold Award, DFA Grand Prix, RED DOT Best of Best, German Design Award Winner Award, and iF Design Award Gold. Its achievements in the Omron blood pressure monitor “SpotArm” and the Microsoft “Xbox 360” have led to its selection as one of Newsweek’s “Top 100 Japanese Small and
Medium-sized Enterprises.” The consortium brand “METAPHYS” handles everything from technology design to sales. It is also involved in many projects related to traditional crafts and regional
revitalization, including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation (SMRO) “Kansei Value Creation Museum,” the Tokyo
Metropolitan Art Museum’s new traditional crafts production project “TOKYO CRAFTS & DESIGN,” and the Echizen Uchi Hamono Consortium “iiza.” It coined the term “social design” and is working to promote its use. In July 2024, with the cooperation of the CJIDC, the “Behavioral Design Museum” opened permanently in Suzhou. His books include “Social Design Textbook,” “Design Thinking Method for Effective Problem-Solving Actions,” “Sensory Potential Thinking Method,” and “Bag Trial Design.” About the “JIDA Design Certification”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/99962/12/99962-12-7476c76e1b20421df0c699f8232c0d59-3226×773.png The JIDA Design Certification Examination (formerly the PD
Certification Examination) is administered by JIDA (Japan Industrial Design Association, a public interest incorporated association) as a “measure of acquiring basic knowledge about design, with a focus on product design.” https://jida-design-kentei.studio.site/
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/99962/12/99962-12-e89d33ad787a0fcce9bbd6db128dbc72-956×638.png [For everyone involved in planning, management, and development] Design knowledge is essential for creating attractive products and various solutions. The broad knowledge you gain through this certification will be useful not only in design but also in solving a variety of problems.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/99962/12/99962-12-5d2d49ec3f5dd1bf659dbb0c73639ea7-956×630.png [General Education] Acquiring design knowledge and sensibilities as part of your general education will help you understand the various issues you encounter in your daily life and work, and will help you create new solutions. [For those aspiring to become designers] This can be used as a goal or indicator for career advancement. It can also serve as proof of your design knowledge level when job hunting.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/99962/12/99962-12-e9cc2fefc928ed2414cbae74a9500c9e-958×640.png [For those involved in design education] This can be used to measure the effectiveness of design education and for credit recognition. By sending many students who pass the test out into society, you can expect to improve your credibility and reputation as an educational institution.
