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[Interview] Continue to pursue ease of use and ease of understanding without giving up

Table of Contents

Assigned To

A bust shot of Deputy Director, talking to someone without a tie and wearing a jacket.

Deputy Director Akihiko Sakamoto
Assigned to Deputy Director, Digital Agency in January 2022. Responsible for a wide range of areas, including the Government Common Website Project. Actively involved in digitalization promotion of administrative services and multi-agency projects.

*Affiliations and job titles are as of April 1, 2025.

The goal was to create a website that everyone could use without hesitation

- Please tell us about the purpose and characteristics of this initiative.

Sakamoto: When I entered Digital Agency, the website itself had already been launched. In the course of being in charge of its operation, we decided to renew it, including the top page. At that time, it was designed to give priority to smartphones and adopted a mechanism that displays new information in time series. At the beginning of the site's construction, it seems that the introduction of a personalization function (* 1) was considered, but due to the impact of regulations, etc., the personalization function had to be abandoned.
While operating the Digital Agency website and building the content management system, one of the things we were particularly aware of was not just meeting the specifications and standards, but "ensuring web accessibility in the essential sense." In Digital Agency, there is a private sector personnel team dedicated to web accessibility that includes experts in web accessibility who are themselves visually impaired. This team also includes information design experts and engineers, and we worked closely with them to advance the project.
Specific examples of our initiatives include improvements to our hamburger menu (* 2). We needed to create something that would allow visually impaired people to know when a menu was open or closed, especially when browsing the site on a smartphone. After extensive discussions among our accessibility team, designers, and business operators, we created an accessible hamburger menu.

* 1 Personalization function: A function that optimizes the display of information according to the user.
* 2 Hamburger menu: A type of menu display used on websites and applications.

I never wanted to give up on "no one left behind."

- What is the background of your focus on web accessibility?

There are people with various disabilities in the world, including visual, auditory, and physical disabilities. There are many administrative services that cannot be replaced, and if they cannot be used well digitally, they have to go to the counter. However, for people with mobility, it is a much greater burden to go out and do the procedures than for people without mobility. I believe that the "user perspective" should originally include such people.
In the age of paper, we had no choice but to give up consideration for various disabilities as "something we can't do anything about." However, in the modern age of advanced digitalization, the assumption that "we have no choice but to give up" has changed. With digital, we can realize services in which no one is left behind without giving up anything. It is because we can see such hope that we should do whatever we can.

Generously share knowledge to improve the administration's web operation

- How do you make use of the experience gained through the project?

Based on the knowledge gained through this project, we are currently holding study sessions, workshops, and information-sharing opportunities for people in charge of web operations at various ministries and agencies. In addition to simply sharing the knowledge of website renewal, we are also exchanging opinions on how to reduce the cost of daily content updates and how to promote appropriate procurement. In addition, with the help of private sector specialists in Digital Agency, we are aware of the content that is useful for practical work, such as sharing the points of information transmission from a public relations perspective. In cooperation with various ministries and agencies, we are working to realize better information transmission on the website by the entire government.

The deeper the mutual understanding, the easier it is for good service to be created.

- Tell me about the benefits of working with a designer

Compared to us, government officials, who work based on laws and systems, I think that designers, who have worked based on the usability of users, have a view closer to the general public. Therefore, I feel that by collaborating with them, it is easy to find points that are difficult to notice from the viewpoint of government officials, and they can get new ideas, which is a big advantage. In addition, the more we communicate, the more designers can be aware of the situation and system of the government, and the more government officials can be aware of the "user's perspective".
I believe that such mutual understanding will lead to services that satisfy both "administrative requirements" and "user-friendliness." As a result, better services that are easier for everyone to use will be created.

Understand why you do what you do, not what you do

- What advice do you have for administrators who want to create better services?

SAKAMOTO Administrative officers are often transferred every two years, and there are many cases in which they engage in their duties without being able to receive a sufficient explanation from their predecessors. Therefore, I think that the reality is that it is difficult to fully understand the background and intention of the measures if they simply proceed as work. To put it harshly, anyone can do the work procedure itself if they are taught. However, administrative officers are required to understand the essential parts such as "Why this method?", "Why this system is necessary?", and "Why it is still in place?" In addition to the establishment of the system and the applicable laws and regulations, by knowing the details of its operation, you will be able to have a perspective that goes beyond the framework of mere work.
Then, they will be able to realize how to solve fundamental problems, such as, "If this system is reviewed in the first place, this work itself may become unnecessary." We believe that it is important to always think about "why we do what we do" rather than just "what we do" when working on business.

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