Transforming Japan's Second Phase of DX Through Design Thinking and Data Utilization

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, companies in Japan are facing significant challenges as they attempt to navigate the second phase of Digital Transformation (DX). Infobahn, a recognized leader in creative strategies based in Shibuya, Tokyo, has partnered with Brainpad, a prominent player in data analytics located in Minato, to launch innovative programs designed to support organizations already on their DX journey.

With the new programs set to roll out from July 1, 2025, both companies aim to help businesses uncover analytical themes and service values that have been previously overlooked or unaddressed. This initiative emerges from a critical observation: many companies find themselves stuck, unable to transition from operational improvements to creating new business models or fostering innovation, precisely because they lack clarity on fundamental questions such as "What value are we creating?" and "Why are we doing this?".

Addressing the Core Questions

It has become essential for organizations to define and articulate their core inquiries if they expect to navigate the complexities of the digital age. The absence of these foundational questions hinders the ability to explore new territories of value creation. Design Thinking is emerging as a valuable framework in this context, allowing organizations to redefine problems and discover meaningful insights that will guide them toward the second phase of DX.

Despite the considerable potential of this framework, many companies struggle to translate theoretical insights into practical applications. This is where the partnership between Infobahn and Brainpad proves essential, as they combine their respective strengths: Infobahn's expertise in meaning exploration and organizational vision articulation complements Brainpad's robust understanding of data analytics and technology.

Key Features of the Program

The collaborative program focuses on empowering companies to recognize and re-design their core questions while simultaneously aligning their data strategies with implementable solutions. The initiative will feature two modular programs:

1. Analytical Theme Exploration Program (3 Days)

This program targets enterprises that have accumulated data through their existing DX efforts but are unsure of the next steps to take. Participants will engage in exercises designed to:

- Articulate their core strengths and future visions through the usage of leading examples.
- Build value hypotheses extrapolated from potential future scenarios.
- Structure the data that can support these value hypotheses and determine the metrics needed to assess effectiveness.

By redefining their thought processes away from conventional operational improvements, this program encourages participants to embrace a future-centric mindset, enabling the extraction of comprehensive DX themes.

2. Service Value Exploration Program (1 or More Days)

This program assists businesses in redefining their services and planning new functions by focusing on critical aspects such as:

- Clarifying customer profiles and beneficiaries’ perspectives.
- Verifying the alignment of existing services with customer needs.
- Translating established value hypotheses into measurable metrics and data-driven designs.

Participants learn how to shift their focus from feature-oriented designs to those that prioritize the values important to beneficiaries.

Both programs operate through a co-creative workshop format, allowing internal team members to develop a shared language and foster collaboration. This approach leverages Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles to ensure that the exploration of value is not contingent on technical or organizational constraints, but focused on actual user needs.

Empowering Organizations for Inherent Change

Through these programs, businesses are expected to cultivate their own capacity to pose insightful questions, ensuring they are well-equipped to identify intrinsic values before delving into data utilization and technology adoption. This initiative transcends mere theme-setting support by focusing on developing a culture of continuous transformation.

Comments from Leadership

As Hiroshi Sekiguchi, CEO of Brainpad, noted, "Facing the essence of challenges is central to our company's culture. We are committed to uncovering the fundamental issues underlying surface-level problems and aiming for root cause solutions." With a track record of supporting over 1,400 companies in DX initiatives, Brainpad emphasizes the importance of internalizing data utilization for sustained growth and enhanced competitiveness.

Similarly, Noriyuki Kizuki from Infobahn underscores the necessity for companies to develop their capabilities to address complex problems in a time of uncertainty. He highlights the value of Design Thinking as a mindset for exploring deeper meanings and fostering the creation of new value.

Conclusion

With a comprehensive approach that combines design thinking and data utilization, the joint programs of Infobahn and Brainpad promise to catalyze the transformation of Japan’s enterprises as they enter the second stage of DX. To learn more about the "Design Thinking for Analytical Themes/Service Value" exploration programs, please visit the following link: Explore Details.