Meet Our Community
CoMADO is backed by a community that explores the possibilities of online design research. Various researchers and experts are developing ideas, sharing tips, and contributing to resources. We’re often consulted by those who want to try research, and we’re happy to provide support as needed.
CoMADO’s Goals
The “Co” in CoMADO is “co” in co-design. We aim to create a co-creation platform for observation and insight by anyone, from anywhere, and with anyone, making design research more open.
To this end, we began by inventing a tool for researching the fields remotely. It has become an app for conducting observation, dialogue, and insight from customer perspectives, which are critical in promoting design management, in a hybrid format that combines remote and on-site studies.
How the Community Works
The community brings together a variety of design researchers, professionals, and organizations to explore the possibilities of online design research. Our activities include the development of research ideas to simplify the use of CoMADO, the deployment of expertise, and the study of the latest trends in design research. We’re also enhancing our support capabilities for conducting co-creative design research by connecting businesses and design researchers.
The advantage of a community is the ability to collaborate across organizations. Design researchers with various interests, skills, and experiences share design knowledge across fields such as business, education, and art. We will create the future of design research that advances in a co-creation style involving different stakeholders.
Participating Agencies
Current Members
The researchers in our community are experts at the forefront of design research. Design researchers with various interests, skills, and experiences share design knowledge across fields such as business, education, and art.
Taro Akabane
赤羽 太郎
He has been engaged in new business developments, experience improvements, and organizational transformations based on design approaches and ethnographic research. His translations include Service Design (Maruzen Publishing), Designing for Service (Southern Books), and The Future of Service Design (Köln International School of Design). He is the co-chair of the Service Design Network Japan Chapter and a part-time lecturer at Senshu University.
Agency: Concent, Inc.
Hidehiko is a senior director at Trinity, Co., Ltd, a design consulting firm with the longest history in Japan. He has been a globetrotter, traveling over 20 countries as a lead researcher for various projects of global design strategy, concept development, and design development of his clients, which includes major manufacturers of automotive industry, home appliances, precision equipment, and IT vendors.
Agency: Trinity Co. Ltd.
As a design researcher, she supports sustainable management in the areas of UX research and service design for various companies. She is currently exploring environment-centered design approaches from not only the user’s perspective but also from the perspective of the earth. A favorite quote: the problem is the solution.
Agency: mct. Inc.
As a service designer, he has been extensively involved in the planning and execution of projects related to the new development and improvement of various clients’ businesses and services. He has also practiced user research and analysis training sessions and facilitated many co-creation workshops.
Agency: Concent, Inc.
An experience designer with a copywriter background. He has worked on CX design projects in various industries, including food, automotive, and pharmaceutical. He holds a license of “ZMET,” which uses metaphors to explore people’s subconscious.
Agency: mct. Inc.
Shiho Nakamori
中森 志穂
Shiho graduated from the Graduate school of Comprehensive Human Sciences, National University of Tsukuba, later to be engaged in measuring physiological indicators of sensitivity as a research fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. She is one of the lead design researchers at Trinity, conducting a vast range of design research with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. She also specializes in designing workshops based on the research results. Moreover, she is a vision designer at the Institute of Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo, one of the most innovative academic initiatives in the country.
Agency: Trinity Co. Ltd.
The representative of ACTANT, a design firm specializing in service design, and a co-host of ACTANT FOREST. His design activities focus on co-creation with nature from the perspectives of visual communication design, media theory, and cultural anthropology.
Agency: ACTANT, Inc.
Kohei graduated from Master’s Program in Contemporary Psychology at the University of Mejiro. He joined Trinity following seven years of responsible research work at a Japanese company in the hospitality industry and a major advertising material production company. His expertise in research is so extraordinary that he has full command of combining quantitative, qualitative, and design research to meet his clients’ needs. Kohei is also rich in experiences of international and domestic user insight research, and ethnographic research based on the design thinking method.
Agency: Trinity Co. Ltd.
A communication designer. Utilizing his design thinking and content design skills, he supports service developments, improvements, and design-centric culture for businesses and government agencies as a service designer. A visiting researcher at Musashino Art University’s Social Creative Research Institute. A human-centered design specialist.
Agency: Concent, Inc.
Mio Sano
佐野 実生
An HCD-Net-certified human-centered design specialist. Graduated from Tama Art University, Department of Graphic Design, and joined Concent. She is currently practicing inclusive design approaches in a variety of media, including websites, brochures, planning, documents, and events/seminars.
Agency: Concent, Inc.
She is a service designer conducting design research and co-creation workshops for projects in various fields to create new values that enrich not only customers and employees but also society. She is currently studying behavioral design methods to enhance well-being.
Agency: ACTANT, Inc.
Holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from the Department of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo. She specializes in UI/UX and VR, and is a member of the CoMADO development team. Aiming to update the way of working in the era of 100 years of life, she left Kyushu University to establish zeroinon Inc. in 2021, where she serves as the President and Representative Director.
Contact us if you’re a researcher interested in joining the CoMADO community.
Need Support?
If you’re interested in utilizing CoMADO or trying design research remotely, the CoMADO community is here to assist, whether you need help with research ideas or research consulting.
Applying Research Ideas
You can ask a design researcher for advice on putting one of the ideas to practical use or for facilitation support.
Conducting Research
Depending on your issues and requests, our design researchers will help develop a research program and assist you in the execution.
Design Consulting
A researcher can guide you through the whole process from planning to execution, insight extraction, and strategy development of research according to your objectives.
Community Managers
- Kaoru Tsukui (ACTANT Inc.)
- Daichi Kawarada (Concent Inc.)
- Sonoka Imagawa (mct Inc.)
