DAY
Day 2
TIME
13:40 – 14:00
AREA
Forest Stage
TYPE
Talk + AMA
LANGUAGE
Japanese
In my 2023 session, I reframed design as the interrelation of Model, Diagram, and Object—offering a perspective for applying design techniques across disciplines. This talk begins where that one left off: at the moment AI breaks through the long-standing barriers of visualization.
As AI enables mocks to be generated in minutes, the “wall of visualization”—centered on Diagrams and Objects—that once separated designers from non-designers is rapidly dissolving.
Yet this shift highlights an even more critical truth: the designer’s role is increasingly essential in the realm of the Model—in constructing interpretation and meaning.
In an era where anyone can practice design, how might we open design as a more collaborative endeavor and enable new practitioners?
This talk explores the emerging role of designers in this new landscape.
Akira Motomura
Independent
Studied Communication Design in the United States and worked at Dubberly Design Office in San Francisco, contributing to global projects including IoT, medical software, and brand guidelines. After returning to Japan, joined Yumemi Inc., where he established the design organization from the ground up and expanded it to a team of 50 while driving business growth as Head of the Design Division. He has led UX research, service design, and organizational implementation across diverse industries—finance, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, telecom, retail, mobility, automotive, and government. He also speaks at domestic and international conferences on design management and human-centered design, and contributes academic papers to the field.
Effective January 2026, appointed as CDO at Spice Factory Inc. and Strategy & Insights Lead at Flying Penguins Inc.