Research through design is exploratory design method for addressing “wicked problems” where even the questions remain unclear and ambiguous. It is an approach that explores questions through design while intervening practically in society, thereby generating new knowledge. However, its practical methodology remains unclear, hindering its wider adoption.
We therefore propose a method for describing and analyzing Research through Design practice using the perspective of Actor-Network Theory (ANT), which carefully captures the interactions between people and objects.
This paper introduces ‘Naost’, a repair delivery service we are developing, aimed at creating a society where repair is a natural choice. We then describe the interactions between people and objects during Naost’s development using ANT. We analyze the Research through Design practice through the expanded interpretations arising from these interactions. Furthermore, we attempt to theorize the ANT analysis to derive practical implications.

This study examines the “Gum Bass,” an electronic instrument made with locally sourced wood from Hokkaido, through the lens of activity-based design that regards the making process itself as a meaningful form of value. Focusing on iterative cycles of making, testing, dialogue, and sharing, the research documents and analyzes phenomena such as generativity, improvisation, and mutual enjoyment that emerged throughout the collaborative project. The findings show that the act of making did not simply converge toward a final artifact; rather, it functioned as a dynamic “design party” in which participants exchanged and transformed one another’s expressions, allowing new possibilities to continually unfold and gradually reshaping their relationships, learning, and engagement in meaningful ways.

This study aims to enhance accessibility in art museums by treating architecture itself as an object of appreciation and by supporting spatial experience through a tactile approach. In collaboration with people with diverse visual perspectives, we developed the “Architecture Appreciation Support Tool” for the National Museum of Art, Osaka. Comprising five tactile models, the tool links different perceptual scales and supports spatial understanding through scale cues, material–surface cues, and the use of multiple models. Workshops and review sessions showed that moving between the models and the actual space fostered dialogue, shared insights, and deeper spatial understanding across visual conditions. This paper outlines the tool’s development and examines the potential of multisensory methods for inclusive spatial appreciation.

This study presents a design process for a community hub in historic Arimatsu, employing a backcasting methodology as an alternative to conventional, problem-solving approaches. Through the participatory workshop “Play! Arimatsu” (2019–2021), we utilized SF Prototyping to co-create 30-year future scenarios via a phased process of value-sharing, future envisioning, and spatial implementation. The resulting hub, “moss ARIMATSU (fig. 1),” now realizes these visions through user-led programming, demonstrating a tangible process for translating speculative foresight into community-based spatial interventions.

This work is an elementary programming educational material for learning recursive programming developed for SIAF School, one of the projects of the Sapporo International Art Festival. This work consists of a programmable web application, a delivery class, and an exhibition of the results, and was designed to give students the feeling of having created fractals by themselves. The results of a questionnaire survey on the lessons using this work showed that while many students answered “it was difficult,” many also answered “it was fun.” From the free descriptions, it was confirmed that this work was effective in raising interest in the effects of the fractal principle and providing opportunities for students to become aware of its properties.

This study developed a web application supporting post-creation processes for people with disabilities by generating “titles,” “impressions,” “unique points,” and “creation hints” from artwork images. User research identified key requirements: multifaceted viewing opportunities, authorship consideration, and editability. Field trials yielded predominantly favorable evaluations, confirming AI’s potential as a “mediator.” The research significance lies in expanding artists’ self-expression, facilitating artwork understanding for staff/viewers, and enabling support in facilities lacking specialized staff, thereby broadening expression activities.

This study proposes Papertype, a paper-based movable type system for letterpress printing, developed in response to its decline. Papertype reinterprets letterpress through digital fabrication, primarily laser cutting, linking digital and physical making. It uses paper stock and bookbinding-style lamination, combining digital production with handwork, as users can add patterns and textures through post-processing. A portable printing kit and simple workshop method enables short on-site cycles of design, prototyping, and printing. This approach provides open, low-cost access to letterpress and supports democratized learning and expression. Since the emergence of Post-Digital Letterpress Printing, this reframing has inspired new interpretations and developments.

This study describes the development of children’s tableware using “Shellmine,” an eggshell-based biomass resin, in collaboration with Fukui Craft Co., Ltd. While the material is environmentally friendly, its higher cost compared to conventional resins posed a challenge. To address this, the project focused on the baby gift market and adopted a chick motif to highlight the material’s origin, fostering awareness of sustainability. A detachable partition plate was introduced to extend usability as children grow. Prototyping with a 3D printer and usability testing with toddlers verified practicality, leading to commercialization as “Shellmine Kids.” The product received positive responses, won multiple design awards, and demonstrated how design can convey material value, overcome cost barriers, and raise environmental awareness.

To promote the timber and wood education industries utilizing Hinohara Village’s forest resources, the “Hinohara Toy Village Initiative” was launched. In April 2023, J. F. Oberlin University, Hinohara Village, and Tokyo Chainsaws Co., Ltd. formed an industry-academia-government partnership, initiating the “Children’s Wood Discovery and Excavation Project.” This study aimed to revitalize the local woodworking industry by developing toys using Hinohara timber. The design was led by Professor Hideki Hayashi’s lab at J. F. Oberlin University. Among 13 proposals, the finalized product “Kinpas” was designed and refined by the authors. Featuring a log canvas and branch easel its design emphasizes the natural form of wood. Its main concepts are “draw and erase,” “interior display,” and “household message board.” The product has been sold online by Tokyo Chainsaws since July 2024.

This study aims to realize a society where compassionate care can be provided and experienced regardless of the caregiver’s skill level. To this end, we developed a transfer sliding board for social implementation, optimizing its shape, material, and size for ease of use and security for both caregivers and care recipients. The design inherits the excellent ease of insertion from the preceding model, “Tsubasa” (known for its rounded, scoop-like, and notched shape), while adopting a low-friction material. Furthermore, we developed the Sliding Board “Neo” by exploring a wide-body design that harmonizes usability, suitable for the low-friction properties, with a high degree of safety and security. Monitor survey results showed that a majority of caregivers gave a satisfaction rating equivalent to “Excellent.”

At sidewalk–roadway boundaries, wheelchair users seek to remove level differences, while people with visual impairments prefer to retain them. This project co-created a new boundary block that eliminates the 2-cm curb between sidewalk and roadway. The development began by ensuring detectability for visually impaired users, generating a new tactilely recognizable shape unconstrained by existing designs, and refining it for wheelchair maneuverability. Over two years, five prototypes were produced and improved through repeated feedback from both groups. The final block achieved high satisfaction and fostered mutual understanding between the stakeholders. The project suggests that co-creation can ease both physical and psychological conflicts, offering a practical example of inclusive infrastructure design.

This work explores technologies and design methodologies for the social implementation of a carbon-neutral building material— CO₂-absorbing mortar—manufactured through 3D printing (C3DP). Based on the concept of “Nature (Life)× C3DP,” the bench’s exterior design was inspired by kelp, and dynamic lighting control incorporating IoT lighting responsive to the environment was added to evoke the sense of life from the sea. The resulting artwork was socially implemented in a multi-purpose facility in Sapporo City. This paper discusses the content and objectives of the project, its form, originality, and significance, as well as the design development process and the way of evaluating ideas involved throughout.

Since the national government established safety standards for playground equipment in urban parks in 2002, serious accidents have decreased. However, the development of new, challenging equipment has stalled. Ensuring safety zones makes it extremely difficult to install height-utilizing equipment in the small parks children use daily. While elements other than equipment are important in children’s play environments, the symbolic nature of play is an element that equipment should embody. This study, with the cooperation of Sumida Ward, successfully developed symbolic play equipment utilizing height within a confined space. Through not only technical innovations but also participatory construction, we completed play equipment that local children can take pride in. (Fig.1)

It is a Japanese restaurant in a renovated old private house. It is located next to the ruins of Shichiri-no-watashi at Kuwana-syuku, the gateway to Ise. Kuwana City has positioned the Kuwanasyuku area, an area with a rich history and culture, as a priority target area for place branding. Therefore, we aimed to create a facility that would contribute to place branding by designing the exterior following the policies of the “Kuwana City Brand Master Plan” while utilizing the design of the existing housing.
The owner is the owner of the Moroto garden. In planning this project, we read the history of the Moroto family. And we adopted the design philosophy of “a blend of Japanese and Western design /a space where the landscape and artwork stand out /a casual sense of fun”. Specifically, we planned a combination of Japanese cypress and clay walls with textiles and wooden mosaic, openings to showcase the landscape and artwork, and clay and textile walls finished in the same colors. The space was designed to bring out Moroito’s aesthetic sense, artwork, and local charm.

This visitor center is surrounded by deep snow and a rich, yet harsh, natural environment. To ensure visitor activities remain possible under diverse climatic conditions, while creating a cultural landscape that resonates with the surrounding environment and community, we envisioned an architecture “with a thin, elongated silhouette, like a grove of trees, containing transparent voids” from the initial stages. To integrate the building with the Asuwa River right below, the sectional plan utilizes slopes created by civil engineering works. The structure, built with a timber post-and-beam framework and steel pile foundations, took on the character of a “corridor” to realize this. This paper presents an overview of the architectural design and reflects on the design process, focusing on the techniques used to achieve “transparency” within the “corridor.” It demonstrates the potential of the design to create communal spaces similar to forums.