In order to grasp the mental stress level, heart rate variability (HRV) is one of the objective criteria. Generally, HRV is calculated from the heart rate or the pulse using electrocardiogram (ECG) or photoplethysmogram (PPG), which requires special measurement devices and technical knowledge. However, for the purpose of measuring the mental stress level in everyday life, a convenient device, which can be used at any time, is necessary. Therefore, we developed an application to gauge the mental stress level by using a readily available device, the smartphone, to calculate HRV in accordance with the human-centered design (HCD) process and conducted the evaluation among both young and elderly users.

View full abstract

Case studies of the workshop about customer journey map supposed general passengers. We made the workshop as a part of marketing course for the capsule hotel's staff in Sapporo, Hokkaido. In the workshop, they took an introduction about customer journey map, and practiced observing and findings issues. After introduction and practice, we made them a walkthrough from Check in to Check out, describe as customer journey map. After the workshop, we are working to improve operations in this hotel.

View full abstract

In recent years, the importance of “human centered design (HCD)” and “user experience (UX)” has been acknowledged among various Japanese companies and organizations, and there are increasing numbers of cases where HCD and UX are utilized by them. However, when an organization tries to apply the processes and concepts of HCD and UX under the present circumstances, there are many respective companies and organizations that are proceeding by trial and error in terms of education and training cases and failing to achieve their primary objectives. Therefore, our HCD educational program working group focused on human resource development to find out how we could spread HCD across the organizations and make the best use of it. Our trial involving creating four student models (personas) and a UX map based on a concrete case study of each industry and company enabled us to discover an effective approach. In addition, possible solutions were examined from the educational standpoint for addressing the respective challenges of every student attending a lecture, and the most appropriate solution is proposed in this paper.

View full abstract