Accenture Interactive Expands its Design Capability in Japan

Accenture today announced the opening of the Tokyo studio for Fjord, design and innovation from Accenture Interactive. The launch marks the first Fjord design studio in Japan. By introducing the capabilities of the world’s largest design and innovation consultancy in the local market, Accenture Interactive strengthens its commitment to unlocking Japan’s innovation potential through the power of human-centred experiences.

 

Founded in 2001, Fjord became part of Accenture Interactive in 2013. With more than 1,200 designers in 33 studios worldwide, Fjord is a global leader in strategic design and innovation. The new studio, opening today, is located at the Accenture Interactive Studio Tokyo in Azabu, Tokyo. Led by Kohei Bansho and Eduardo Kranz, Fjord Tokyo designers will bring design-led strategy, service design, and organisational / cultural innovation to create digital services people love and that support the business transformation of Japanese clients.

 

Fjord works with some of the world’s most-recognised brands to re imagine their customer experiences through a human-centric approach to design, including:

 

RBS, for which it invented and launched Bó by NatWest, a new ‘neobank’ for one of the UK’s largest financial institutions, helping customers cultivate healthier financial habits

Finnair, reimagining the airline’s customer experience and using advanced technology to design a mobile travel companion and other digital services, bringing peace of mind to air travellers.

Auris Health (part of Johnson & Johnson), which worked with Fjord’s connected products team on revolutionising endoscopy, allowing physicians to diagnose and treat small, hard-to-reach peripheral nodules earlier — and with greater precision.

“Faced with digital disruption, businesses in Japan are placing a growing emphasis on experience and design to meet people’s diverse and ever-changing needs. By combining the power of design with the strong technical expertise Japan is known for, businesses have the potential to create the kinds of superior experiences today’s consumers expect and crave,” said Junichiro Kurokawa, Accenture Interactive Japan Lead. “By adding Fjord’s capability to design for human impact, Accenture Interactive can further help our clients drive sustainable growth by creating experiences with purpose at their core.”

 

Kurokawa continues: “With ‘Reinvent the Experience’ as our common mission, Accenture Interactive and IMJ have collaborated to solve clients’ challenges with digital technologies. Now, by bringing Fjord’s world-class design capabilities to the team, Accenture Interactive can further help clients design experience — from strategy to delivery — in the local market and beyond.”

 

Kohei Bansho, studio lead of Fjord Tokyo, added, “Our diverse and skilled designers from around the world share a common passion: to make Japanese lives better. We look forward to advancing the world’s leading ‘Made in Japan’ brands on their paths to innovation, right here from Tokyo.”