My Vision No.46
2020.2

Realizing Human-centered Policy
through Design Thinking
The application of “design thinking,” which adopts the user’s perspective, has generated a variety
of innovations in the world of business. More recently, attention in the public sector has also cometo be focused on approaches that incorporate design thinking in policymaking. In this issue of My
Vision, we discuss the significance of design thinking and the issues facing its practical application.

About this Issue
Realizing human-centered policy through design thinking– Searching for models in the field will generate policy innovation
Shigeki Uno
NIRA Executive Vice President, / Professor, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo
Keywords…Models to be referred to, designs that users want to use, sources of new ideas, preparation by
the administration, flexibility and ability to take action will be touchstones

Expert Opinions

Realizing Human-centered Policy through Design Thinking
What is the significance of introducing design thinking to policymaking?
What issues face its practical application?

Embracing social complexity and forming“human-centered” policy

Take the citizens’ perspective to create policythat actually reaches citizens

Christian Bason

Hirokazu Okumura

CEO, Danish Design Center (DDC)
Keywords…Design thinking, human-centered,empathy with the people who are the focus of thepolicy, ethnographic research, co-creation,
platforms, experimental/iterative approaches,
embracing complexity

Managing Director, Open Governance Network
Keywords…Policy labs, effective policy making,taking the perspective of the people policy willaffect, understanding real feelings, opening ofgovernment data to the public, citizen
participation, open governanceAttempting an initiative is thinking in itself

Mechanisms are needed that will draw out
citizens’ values and feelings

Atsushi Hasegawa

Kunitake Saso

President, Concent, Inc. / Professor, Institute of
Innovation, Musashino Art University

CEO and Chief Strategic Designer, BIOTOPE Co.,Ltd.

Keywords…VUCA era, risk-taking, laying the
groundwork to prepare for an uncertain future,
abduction, testing by actors in policy formation,
trust of citizens in government

Keywords…Realization of happiness for diverse
individuals through policy, visualization of citizens’
attitudes, policy labs as neutral organizations

How do we create policy based on empathy
with the citizens of the prefecture?
Yukiko Sawada

Interview period：November – December, 2019
Interviewer : Ayumi Kitajima (NIRA Research Coordinator,
Researcher）

Policy Lab. Shiga（Shiga Prefecture）
Keywords…Prefectural citizens’ real attitudes,
policy based on empathy with prefectural citizens,
personas, bottom-up policy formation, budget
implementation based on single fiscal year units

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.46
2020.2
About this Issue

Realizing Human-centered Policy through
Design Thinking– Searching for Models in the Field will generate Policy Innovation

Shigeki Uno
NIRA Executive Vice President,/ Professor, Institute of Social
Science, The University of Tokyo

In the past, there were always models to refer to when
thinking out policies. The Japanese governments of the Meiji
period, which advanced the modernization of the country withthe western nations as a model, are well-known examples.
Until recently, “advanced cases” represented the mostsignificant axis of reference in the advancement of policy.
Today, however, such models are difficult to find. The
image of single-track modernization is a thing of the past.
Rather, we discover issues at various sites and search formethods for their solution. Having said that, however, incomparison to the era in which clear models were available,both issues and solutions have diversified, and the problems
have only become more difficult. Is there a way of thinking
suited to such an era? The proposal offered by this issue of My
Vision is design thinking.

Adopting the Perspective of the Citizens who are the Focus of the Policy
Dr. Christian Bason, CEO of the Danish Design Center, defines design thinking as “methods,
processes and means of creating “human-centered” products, services, solutions and experiences.”
While policy formation up to the present has relied on data collection and analysis and thedetermination of rational solutions, design thinking, by contrast, adopts the perspective of thecitizens and businesses who represent the end users of the policy. Policy is formulated in a processof co-creating ideas with these citizens and businesses and subjecting them to repeated testing.
Dr. Bason tells us that this type of design thinking is being trialed in nations including the UK
and the Scandinavian nations.
Similarly, Visiting Professor Hirokazu Okumura, Managing Director of the Open
Governance Network, emphasizes the concept of thinking about policies that will actually reachcitizens in cooperation with those citizens, with “empathy” as the main axis for proceeding, rather
than relying exclusively on the perspective of the administrative providers of the policy. For
example, in the case of homeless people, we would listen to what homeless people have to tell us
and observe the places in which they live. In the case of abused children, we would think about
how institutions such as orphanages and children’s welfare centers look through the eyes of thechildren. The aim is, through dialogue and observation, to search out the real feelings of theindividuals involved, which even they may not be aware of. What is required is for governments
to make data public, and to test ideas together with citizens within a design thinking framework.

Initiatives have also commenced in Japan
What is the background to the need for this type of design thinking? Professor Atsushi
Hasegawa of Institute of Innovation of Musashino Art University, and also the President ofConcent, Inc., indicates that it is required because this is an era in which “massive changes areThis is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.46
2020.2
occurring, the future is unclear, problems are becoming increasingly complex, and we do not know
the sure and correct responses to the situation.” Precisely in such an unpredictable era, it isnecessary to lay the groundwork to enable us to prepare for an uncertain future, but the Japanese
government is averse to taking risks. “Abduction” (hypothesis formation), the derivation of
hypotheses from the results of small initiatives and the reapplication of those hypotheses, is surely
the suitable method for such an era.
We already have practical examples of this. Kunitake Saso, the CEO of BIOTOPE Co., Ltd.,is conducting a citizen participation project that seeks to create a future vision for the Tama Riverbasin area. The project is looking at the ways in which it will be possible to work and play using
the unique characteristics of the area. This attempt to link the basin area’s residents, businesses
and administration within a design thinking framework that takes lifestyles as the starting pointis a valuable experiment. Mr. Saso additionally points out that the principle of administrative
neutrality makes it impossible to incorporate the opinions of particular citizens, creating the needfor neutral and independent organizations such as policy labs.
We also have examples of initiatives sparked on the administrative side in response to the
upsurge of interest in design thinking. The Shiga prefectural administration’s Policy Lab. Shigais one example. This experiment commenced in 2017 as a voluntary “off-the-job” project conductedby employees of the prefectural administration. Yukiko Sawada, one of the Policy Lab. Shiga teammembers, tells us that the project delineated four “personas” for Shiga Prefecture citizens as“portraits” of the residents of the region, which they termed “Mr. or Ms. XX.” Ms. Sawada tells usthat for the prefectural employees involved in the project, design thinking taking concrete
portraits as its starting point provided an opportunity to return to the inherent goal ofadministration – the solution of problems for prefectural citizens.

Design Thinking is Innovation emerging from the Sites where Policy is
Implemented
When we talk about “design,” many people will probably think of surface decoration.
Nevertheless, in an era awash in diverse products, no matter how functional a product is, it will
only sell if it possesses a design that makes consumers want to use it. On the user side, people first
become interested only when they can imagine themselves using the product. This is also true ofpolicy.
How do we make policy“easier to use”for citizens? The design thinking methodology –listening to citizens’ voices, testing of hypotheses and proposals by the administration incooperation with citizens and businesses, and the ongoing quest for better policy on this basis –can not only encourage citizen participation, but also serve as a source of new ideas for theadministration. A certain amount of resolve and determination may be necessary on the part ofadministrations that have heretofore searched for external “models,” i.e. administrations thathave sought “the right answer.” However, the flexibility to skillfully incorporate innovations fromthe arena of policy implementation and the ability to take action that will be developed throughthe application of this method will be touchstones for administrations in the future.
It is my hope that design thinking will spread in Japan, and that we will see diverse policylab experiments being implemented.

Professor Uno teaches in the Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo, and serves as NIRA’s Executive Vice
President. He took his Ph.D. (Law) from The University of Tokyo, and specializes in the history of political thought andpolitical philosophy.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.46
2020.2
Expert Opinions

Embracing Social Complexity andForming“Human-centered”Policy“Design” is the process of creating ‘new integrations of signs,
things, actions and environments that address the concreteneeds and values of human beings in diverse circumstances’(Buchanan, 1990). This concept has come to be widely adopted
not only in manufacturing, but also in service and management
innovation strategies. “Design thinking,” which is built on thisfoundation, generally refers to methods, processes and means ofcreating “human-centered” products, services, solutions andexperiences.
“Human-centered” policy formation places the emphasis on
Christian Bason
empathywith the people who are the focus of the policy. It differs
CEO, Danish Design Center(DDC)
from the conventional approach of collecting and analyzing data
concerning the policy issue and rationally deriving solutions. The
situations and lives of the people who will be affected by the policy are visually observed, and theirstories are listened to and their interactions with things, services and systems are visualized; in somecases smells might even form part of the process. We use the five senses to understand the root causesof issues, enabling us to come closer to the people affected not on the basis of logic but rather of emotion.
This is a qualitative research method known as “ethnographic research.” In addition, design thinking
involves the process of co-creation. It transcends the framework of administrative departments andinvolves related organizations, outside experts, and the citizens and companies that will be the end
users of the policy in the creation of ideas. The formation of labs and platforms to allow this represents
important infrastructure. In addition, we make use of “experimental” and “iterative” methods. Policies
are created while subjecting the ideas that have been produced to repeated testing. When implementing
the policies, extensive use is made of graphic and product prototyping methods to ensure that the policy
is easy for everyone to understand.
There is an increasing movement to incorporate design thinking that offers the three elements of“human-centeredness,” “co-creation,” and “experimental/iterative approaches” in the public sector inorder to realize innovation in policy and public services. This is particularly the case in the UK andCommonwealth countries, and also the Scandinavian countries, but it is a trend that is now spreadingworldwide. In the background is the fact that rapid technological advances and globalization are
producing changes in business, finance, the environment, and the transmission of information, andpeople’s lifestyles. These are all intertwined, and as a result social issues are becoming more complex.
Rather than resisting complexity, we should accept and embrace it. Public policy must incorporate andintegrate diverse standpoints and different specializations. Precisely because of this, design thinking
is positioned to make a significant contribution to policy making in the 21st century.
Dr. Bason is the CEO of the independent Danish state-funded design organization Danish Design Centre, which supports
organizational development and the solution of management problems using design thinking. Prior to taking his present
position, from 2007 to 2014 he was the Director of the Danish central government’s innovation team MindLab. Dr. Basonholds a Ph.D. from Copenhagen Business School. He has held positions with a number of other organizations both within
Denmark and in other countries, including the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, the European Union, and the World
Economic Forum. He has also been active as a university lecturer, government advisor, and speaker throughout theworld, and is the author of numerous books, including “Leading public design: Discovering human-centred governance”(Policy Press, 2017).

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.46
2020.2
Expert Opinions

Take the Citizens’ Perspective to create
Policy that actually reaches Citizens
Design thinking in policymaking refers to a methodology
applied in the policymaking process that enables the developmentof attractive policies in cooperation with potentially affected citizens,with “empathy” as the axis. In the UK, the former Cameron
administration established a “policy lab,” a policy team that would
implement design thinking, in the Cabinet Office. Against thebackground of the government’s financial difficulties, the policy lab
was established as a response to the question of how to create
effective policy that would reach citizens and the general public evenwith limited budgets. Underneath this concern, there was a
Hirokazu Okumura
reflection on the fact that conventional policies had been createdManaging Director,
from the perspective of administrative execution - in other words,
Open Governance Networkfrom the perspective of public service providers - and issues had
been considered based on past precedents and rules.
Design thinking, which emphasizes empathy, employs a method called ethnographic research inorder to identify issues that cannot be grasped through data analysis alone. Using this method,policymakers seek the perspectives of the people who are the actual focus of the policy. To take homelesspeople as an example, policymakers would observe the actual status of the lives of the homeless byvisiting them and spending time with them. While it may be difficult to extend this process tocohabitation, an image of the people who will be the focus of the policy is carefully drawn – “personas”
are created – and this allows the policymakers to adopt their perspective. Taking child abuse as anotherexample, using the design thinking approach, we would consider what parents, friends, schools, andsuch institutions as orphanages and children’s welfare centers look like through the eyes of an abusedchild. Thus, thinking about how to make children most happy in the long run is an important approachin design thinking. It involves trying to completely “become” the recipient of the expected policy. Whatis required here is, through dialogue and observation, to draw out the underlying true feelings of theindividuals which even they do not recognize.
Up to the present, I have been working in the area of open data, the disclosure of government datain order to encourage citizens to participate in the policymaking process, allowing the wisdom of the
public to be reflected in policies. To ensure the continuation of this initiative, I am promoting the conceptof open governance, which encourages citizens to play more active roles in the provision of public policy
services in collaboration with the relevant governments, including local governments. I believe that itis necessary to introduce design thinking and consider policies that will actually reach the public.
Government openness and design thinking have in common the fact that citizen participation is the
key factor. I believe that it will first be necessary to create a "policy lab" of the type implemented in the
United Kingdom, to conduct experiments, and to share the results with citizens and governments.

Former Visiting Professor Okumura works actively to promote open governance in Japan through research and theprovision of advice. He possesses extensive knowledge of e-government in the west. He graduated from The Universityof Tokyo’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1971, and entered the (then) Ministry of Trade and Industry. After leaving the
Ministry, Visiting Professor Okumura held positions as a Consulting Fellow at the Research Institute of Trade &Industry (RIETI), a Visiting Professor at Kyoto University, a Specially-Appointed Professor at The University of Tokyo,
a visiting researcher at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo’s
Graduate School of Public Policy, taking his present position in 2019.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.46
2020.2
Expert Opinions

Attempting an Initiative is Thinking in Itself
The contemporary era has been termed the era of VUCA.
This is an acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, andAmbiguity. Massive changes are occurring, the future is unclear,problems are becoming increasingly complex, and we do notknow the sure and correct responses to the situation – it isprecisely in such an unpredictable era that we must take risks
and prepare the groundwork for an uncertain future. However,Japan’s government is unable to take risks.
When you do not know the correct response, taking theAtsushi Hasegawa
approach of first trying something is in fact an effective method.
President, Concent, Inc. /Professor, Institute of
The intention is not to immediately achieve success, but rather
Innovation,
to derive hypotheses that allow you to determine what mightMusashino Art University
work. When something is tried, whether it works or not,hypotheses are derived from the process. This is termed “abduction” (hypothesis formation). Thisis the essential concept of design thinking; it could even be said that the process of making anattempt represents thinking in itself.
In design thinking, the essential point is whose perspective to adopt in attempting to think
about solutions. For example, when a new product is created and the issue of how to achieve
efficient mass production is considered, these considerations conventionally take place entirely on
the supply side. By contrast, in the case of design thinking, what is required is to adopt theperspective of the consumer side, asking how it would be possible to create a more user-friendly
product. To this end, at the product planning stage, we would leave behind the limitations ofexisting technologies and manufacturing methods and conduct repeated tests in order to give form
to a product that users would consider to be of real value. The policy formation process is the same.
Prior to the implementation of a new system, we would first formulate and test proposals designed
to make the system a meaningful one for the citizens and businesses who represent the “users” ofthe policy. This differs from simply taking opinions. When opinions are taken, all we get arereactions based on projections from the status quo. What policy design involves is rather revisinga proposal and formulating hypotheses based on people’s reactions to the proposal, further testing
the hypotheses, and ultimately proceeding to the stage of policy formulation and implementation.
Policy formation based on design thinking in this manner represents the creation of policy
together with diverse actors, including citizens and businesses. In order for such initiatives to be
successful, it is essential that citizens have sufficient trust in the government to allow repeatedtesting of proposals. The recognition that co-creation of policy by the government and citizens
while engaging in repeated testing is a process that will open up a path to the future in an
uncertain era must be shared by both sides.
Dr. Hasegawa is a leading figure in the field of information architecture, which represents “design of understanding.” Hefounded Concent, Inc. in 2002. The company works in the area of UX design for corporate websites and web services. Dr.
Hasegawa cultivates the social application of design and the building of social systems through design, and recently has
both researched and led design education for Japanese companies and administrations. He’s been a professor atMusashino Art University since 2019. He holds a Ph.D. from The University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Arts andSciences. Dr. Hasegawa is a representative of the Service Design Network Japan Chapter and the Vice President of the
Human Centered Design Organization Japan.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.46
2020.2
Expert Opinions

Mechanisms are needed that will draw
out Citizens’ Values and Feelings
During Japan’s era of high economic growth, the equation
was “economic satisfaction = happiness.” If numerical targets
based on a macro perspective were quantitatively piled up andprogress was made towards them, adequate outcomes could be
expected. In the mature society of today’s Japan, however, thequestion is how to realize happiness for diverse individuals. The
design thinking approach, which considers what should be donetaking individuals’ ways of life as the starting point for these
considerations, is an effective one in seeking to realize a value
Kunitake Sasosuch as “happiness,” which is difficult to express in figures,
CEO and Chief Strategic
through policy. This necessitates the functioning of a method
Designer, BIOTOPE Co., Ltd.
that would render qualitative information such as the subjective
values and lifestyle choices of citizens visible, and allow theformation of policy on this basis. At present, however, the Japanese government possesses no suchmechanisms. The issue for the government is to determine how it will be possible to visualize andactualize the vital, future-directed feelings of citizens with particular views regarding how theywant things to be.
I am conducting a citizen participation project that seeks to create a future vision for theTama River basin area. Tokyu Corporation is mounting the project, and the company is working
together with residents, companies and local administrations in the area in order to envision thenext generation of town planning. The themes that we are focusing on include how the specificcharacteristics of the Tama River basin area can be utilized in work and play, and what types oflifestyles we can propose that make use of the richness of nature in the area. The experience of
this project has shown that it is extremely difficult for the government to gain access to the feelingsof citizens regarding what they want done, and to give those feelings form. If the administration
does directly take opinions from certain citizens, there may be an appearance of arbitrariness inthe selection of those particular citizens, or there may be issues of neutrality and fairness –Whywere those particular people’s opinions considered? The only approach available at present to avoid
these problems is to assemble quantitative data representing a conglomeration of needs.
It is essential that we establish mechanisms enabling administrations to make adequate useof the values and feelings of citizens in decision making. It would also be valuable to make theways in which citizens make their opinions known more visible. Northern European nations andthe UK have created neutral organizations such as policy labs. Organizations of this type conduct
workshops, and create opportunities to connect citizens, businesses and local administrations andpractice design thinking. The approach these organizations adopt of identifying policy issues andexchanging ideas that will be employed in policy proposals should provide a useful reference forJapan.
Mr. Saso’s company BIOTOPE Co., Ltd. proposes service design projects and methods of creating a culture of innovation
to diverse companies, from large corporations to long-established businesses with extensive histories. Mr. Sasoestablished BIOTOPE (a “co-creative strategic design firm”) after gaining experience in marketing a number of hit
products for P&G and launching a new business creation program for Sony Corporation. He is a graduate of The
University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law, and completed a Master’s degree in design at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.46
2020.2
Expert Opinions

How do We create Policy based on Empathy
with the Citizens of the Prefecture?
In Shiga Prefecture, volunteers from among prefecturaladministration staff began conducting a policy research project thatincorporated design thinking in 2017. This project was called Policy Lab.
Shiga, and was conducted as an “off-the-job” trial project. We sought toconsider the question of how we could create policy that had as its
starting point the real attitudes of the citizens, and that was based on a
deep understanding of and empathy with them. We conducted numerous
workshops and discussion meetings together with prefectural citizens.
Specifically, we conducted qualitative surveys for more than half a year
in which we interviewed prefectural citizens and conducted observations
Yukiko Sawada
around themes such as “Finding a place for young people” andPolicy Lab. Shiga“Migration from outside the prefecture.” This allowed us to identify（Shiga Prefecture）
issues. Based on this knowledge, we delineated an image of the citizensof the prefecture through the creation of personas for four citizens.
What was highlighted to us by this was the discontent among the prefecture’s young people, andthe confusion that new migrants felt over their sense of distance from the community. We therefore
held what we called a “Future Ideathon” to attempt to resolve the issues faced by our personas. We
considered solutions together with people with diverse perspectives (differing ages, professions, etc.)
and mutually came up with ideas. During that process, we sought to find answers to the question “Whodo we want to make happy, and how?” We compiled what we learned from this activity into policy
proposals, and presented them to the Governor of Shiga Prefecture in 2018. We then held an exchangeof opinions with the Governor.
In design thinking, we do not understand the citizens of the prefecture as a single collective; wereturn to the aim of realizing solutions to problems that suit the worldview of each individual. Most
tasks for employees of the administration come from the top, and we have to do them. Against thisbackground, a design thinking perspective that opens out from a concrete “Mr. or Ms. XX” represents
an effective approach to the creation of policy from the bottom up.
If we advise local administrations to introduce design thinking in earnest, a few issues should bepointed out. The implementation of budgets in units of single fiscal years leaves no margin for theformulation of policy after repeated testing, an important process within design thinking. Additionally,
if the administration is one in which the organizational culture often associated with the administrative
sector exists – by which I mean slavish following of precedent, forced consumption of the budget, etc. –then improvements need to be made. Understanding of design thinking among members of staff andthe ability to manage the entire organization are also necessary. The ultimate goal is to realize a “flatadministration” that transcends the boundaries between organizations in order to jointly create policythat originates in the real feelings of the citizens of the prefecture. My aim is to change, step by step,
the way that the Shiga Prefecture administration performs its tasks and the awareness of its staff
members, and to realize a Shiga Prefecture that is loved by its citizens.
Ms. Sawada is a member of staff of the Shiga Prefecture administration, currently attached to the prefecture’s roads
department. Policy Lab. Shiga (PLS) was launched in 2017, in response to remarks made by Shiga Governor Taizo
Mikazuki that referred to the effectiveness of design thinking in the face of a decline in the prefecture’s population andthe need for change in its administration. Ms. Sawada was one of 11 members of the PLS team responsible for making
policy proposals to the Governor. Following the submission of these proposals, PLS was dissolved and efforts such as theTaskforce to examine the Realization of 100 Years of Active and Engaged Life, which utilizes design thinking, werecommenced as prefectural government organizations. Ms. Sawada continues to be vigorously active in the area, forexample as a lecturer in design thinking policy training.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2020 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement