PlayFeel – UX Research & Design

Understanding how drivers naturally interact with Automated Parking (AP) and Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) features presents a unique research challenge — traditional lab settings and retrospective interviews often fail to capture the spontaneous, split-second decisions that define real activation behavior. Driving simulators offer a controlled yet ecologically valid environment to observe these moments as they naturally unfold, without the safety constraints of on-road testing.

This study leveraged a structured series of simulator sessions to observe how participants discovered, approached, and activated AP/PVM features across varying parking scenarios. By capturing natural interaction patterns — including hesitation points, visual scanning behavior, and activation sequences — the research identified critical friction points in the user journey. Findings directly informed improvements to activation step design and served as a creative foundation for interface iterations, bridging the gap between observed behavior and actionable design direction.

Evaluating the usability of AD/ADAS features presents a distinct methodological challenge — many interactions are infrequent, context-dependent, and emotionally charged, making them difficult to assess through traditional in-person testing alone. Online usability methods offer a scalable complement, enabling broader participant reach and the ability to test across diverse user segments without geographic constraints.

This ongoing series of remote usability studies examined key AD/ADAS features across multiple research cycles, using moderated sessions to probe user mental models, pain points, and behavioral expectations in depth. Iterative study design allowed findings from each round to directly inform the next, creating a continuous feedback loop between user insight and feature development. Identified pain points contributed to concrete feature redesigns, shortening the distance between research evidence and product improvement.

Child-Dedicated scale for reporting emotions and evaluating the feelings of peers. The AIS evaluates how well a participant can evaluate the feelings of others (Accuracy) and how synchronized group members are with themselves (Affective Synchrony – AS) in three dimensions:
Happiness (Joy), Energy (Arousal), and Participation (Dominance).
Winner of the Kids Design Award.

As Advanced Driving and Driver Assistance Systems rapidly evolve across global markets, understanding what “best-in-class” looks like — and why — requires more than feature comparison. User expectations, regulatory contexts, and cultural driving behaviors vary significantly across regions, making a single-market perspective insufficient for strategic product decisions.

This research initiative conducted a structured benchmark study across three major regions — North America, Europe, and Japan — evaluating AD/ADAS features against competitive offerings and user expectations in each market. Beyond identifying feature gaps, the study established a consistent evaluation standard designed for longitudinal tracking, enabling year-over-year comparisons as the competitive landscape evolves. Outputs highlighted the most strategically valuable features to prioritize, grounding investment decisions in cross-regional user evidence rather than assumption.

The rapid evolution of vehicle technology — from electrification to automation — is fundamentally reshaping what drivers expect from their next car. Yet product teams often rely on existing user data or internal assumptions to prioritize features, without a current, evidence-based picture of how user values and priorities are actually shifting in real time.

This mixed-methods research initiative combined large-scale surveys with unmoderated interviews to map users’ current perspectives, aspirations, and concerns about their next vehicle. The study captured not just feature preferences, but the underlying values and anxieties driving them — providing a richer foundation for strategic prioritization. Findings directly influenced the reprioritization of AD/ADAS features according to perceived user value, and gave rise to a set of next-driver personas that have since guided the conceptualization of new features across the development team.

Case study research about the integration of design and of users in the New Product Development (NPD) process of Brazilian toy companies. The research highlighted that designers are not usually included in the initial stages of product conceptualization, prejudicing the development of novel concepts. Furthermore, infant users were also often disregarded in the design process.

Motion sickness in autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles represents one of the most underexplored yet critical barriers to user acceptance of AD technology. As passengers increasingly shift from active driver to passive occupant, the physiological and psychological discomfort associated with reduced vehicle control becomes a meaningful design problem — one that requires rigorous, reproducible evaluation methods before any intervention can be validated.

This research established a structured evaluation framework for assessing anti-motion sickness interventions within a driving simulator environment, enabling controlled and repeatable testing of candidate solutions. By standardizing the measurement approach first, the study ensured that subsequent intervention testing could generate reliable, comparable results. The work supported the development of in-car interventions that are currently progressing through the patent process, contributing to a foundation for passenger-first autonomous vehicle design.

The number of South American Students have been stagnated in Japan for the past 10 years. While the Covid-Pandemic Also affected the recruitment of Students for the years of 2020-2021, it opened a possibility to reevaluate the scenario.

By evaluating the experiences of students keen on studying in Japan, we formulated a comprehensive action plan. This strategy includes a heightened investment in digital media PR, personalized virtual study fairs, and specialized study-related content. This approach has enabled us to connect with new audiences, thereby influencing current student enrollment and setting the stage for sustained growth in the years ahead.

Discussion about developing new design guidelines for children based on three promoted play experiences. How to develop toys/games that promote interactions between children?