Host: Japanese Society for the Science of Design
Name : THE 73rd ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF JSSD
Number : 73
Location : [in Japanese]
Date : June 12, 2026 - June 14, 2026
This study proposes Empowerment Design, a methodology that reframes UX design by reconceptualizing the user as a subject of inherent capabilities—"moteruChikara" (the power one already holds). Rather than optimizing experience as a receiver, Empowerment Design targets the relations among person, action, artifact, and purpose. Grounded in nursing empowerment theory and Sen's capability approach, we formulate a four-layer model: Perceivability, Actionability, Role Attainability, and Social Recognition. A case study of cooking tongs for users with color vision deficiency demonstrates how intervening in Perceivability triggers a cascade enabling social role acquisition.
