[Interview] The user's point of view is the power to create new value.
Table of Contents
- Assigned To
- Future Perspectives of Users and Roles of Digital Agency
- Changes brought about by the user's point of view; what is needed to spread the changes
- What challenges should Digital Agency take on?
- Message to Administrative Officials Working to Create Services from the User's Perspective
- Related Pages
Assigned To
, ASANUMA Takashi, Vice-Minister for Digital Transformation, Chief Officer of Digital Agency, Digital Agency (right in the photo)
After working in the private sector, he became Digital Agency CDO (Chief Design Officer) in 2021 and took his current position in 2022.
, NINOMIYA Seiji, Vice-Minister for Digital Policy, Digital Agency (left photo)
He joined the former Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in 1988. He assumed his current position in 2023 after serving as Director-General of General Office of Telecommunications of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and Director-General of Group of Service for Ministries Administration, Digital Agency.
*Affiliations and job titles are as of April 1, 2025.
Future Perspectives of Users and Roles of Digital Agency
Asanuma In order to understand the need for a "user perspective," I think it is important to be aware of three changes that are taking place in society. The first is that the values that people value are changing from "things" to "experiences." As the tendency to seek more spiritual values increases, the needs of each person are diversifying. The second is that business activity is changing from "competition" to "co-creation" amid a declining population and a shortage of resources in Japan. It is necessary to connect with all related parties and create new value together. The third is that the world is changing from "consumption" to "circulation." We must consider how to effectively utilize limited resources such as energy and natural resources by balancing them with social needs.
In the midst of these changes, it is becoming more and more important to have a deep understanding of the values and needs of each individual, to create new values in cooperation with related parties, and to think and work from a "user perspective" as an effective means of efficiently implementing them in society.
Ninomiya I would like to turn back the clock before the inauguration of Digital Agency. At that time, the former Prime Minister Suga said, "We will break down the vertical division of the administration and boldly carry out regulatory reform. To that end, we will create Digital Agency as a breakthrough." Digital Agency is a powerful organization that leads digitalization in society as a whole to implement that reform. "User perspective" has always been important, but as always in the administration, there was a tendency to decide the scope of our responsibility and devote ourselves to it. As a result, even if each department in charge could fulfill its responsibility, it remained in "partial optimization" that could not meet the needs of users who wanted to achieve the whole.
I think what is required now is to replace the viewpoint with the user side, promote cross-organizational reforms, and meet the true needs of users head-on. Another major challenge was that the various information held by the government was vertically divided and not horizontally connected. We will not repeat the "digital defeat" of the coronavirus pandemic. I believe that solving this challenge is also the responsibility of Digital Agency.
Changes brought about by the user's point of view; what is needed to spread the changes
Asanuma Since the launch of Digital Agency, I feel that many changes and achievements have been made. First, we have established a "common foundation for creating services from the user's perspective." In Digital Agency, we have expanded common tools such as design systems and service design guidelines, as well as design organizations to support design activities in prefectural government and Digital Agency projects. It is also significant that we have started to produce easy-to-understand results that many people find convenient, including the new coronavirus vaccination certificate app and the renovation of Mynaportal. Next, "the way of thinking and culture for creating services from the user's perspective" is becoming a matter of course. Analysis of service utilization rates and satisfaction levels has been incorporated into various projects. As the next step, I feel that we have been able to take steps to solve fundamental administrative issues and create mechanisms for society as a whole, such as "reforming existing laws and systems from the user's perspective" and "formulating policies from the user's perspective."
Ninomiya In order to spread these positive changes, it is important for the executives of each organization to take action on their own with leadership. It is essential to firmly break down the conceptual policy objectives at the individual field level, think about how their own efforts will lead to the overall policy objectives and what the specific effects will be, and evaluate the progress. Efforts from the "user's perspective" cannot be made in a year or two. It is important to continuously accumulate little by little, evaluate the progress, and make improvements. I think that cycle is important.
What challenges should Digital Agency take on?
Asanuma The challenges that Digital Agency should take on are not limited to the "digital reform of public administration," but also to promote the "digital reform of society." I think people expect us to deliver value to society with the speed of private companies, and to continue to provide services that make users happy. To do so, with limited resources such as people, budget, and time, the key is to make the most of digital technologies and digital tools and address all issues from the user's perspective.
Digital technology will increase the amount of innovation, and the "user perspective" will enhance the quality of innovation. In particular, as generative AI is increasingly implemented in society, I would like to make the most of this technology to further accelerate the "digital transformation of society."
Ninomiya From the perspective of creating services from the "user's perspective," I feel that it is steadily getting better than before, but I think that Asanuma-san is right that resources are limited. The "Digital Administrative and Fiscal Reforms," a priority reform that the government is working on, clearly states that the government will always put users first in its efforts in all fields. As the government is making a major shift toward creating services from the "user's perspective," I believe that Digital Agency must work even more closely with each government agency and local government.
Message to Administrative Officials Working to Create Services from the User's Perspective
Asanuma "User perspective" is also "the stance and behavior of seeing things from the perspective of others, who are different from you, and putting things into practice while using your imagination to respond to changes in the thoughts and feelings of others, as well as the approach and process of communicating with others." This is connected to the story at the beginning of this article, but I think that having a "user perspective" will be the way of thinking and abilities required in the future society. It will also be a means of enhancing negotiation and consensus-building skills, which are essential for administrative work.
No project that we are involved in can be completed by one person. We need a stance, an approach, and a process from a "user's perspective" in which we create value together from the perspectives of not only the people of Japan but also the officials of the ministries, agencies, and local governments that provide services, as well as related parties in private sector, Japan, and overseas.
Ninomiya In order to see the "user perspective" in the administration and effectively spread it, it is necessary to establish it throughout the organization as a basic philosophy of administrative management. In other words, it is important to change the way of thinking.
In addition, while it is important to create digital services, it is also necessary to review the way of doing business, and one of Digital Agency's roles is to support that. That is why the "user perspective" is important in cooperating with the frontline of each government agency and local government that uses the service.
Asanuma When working on a project with new members, I hope you will use this guidebook in your daily work as a tool to confirm that "the user perspective is the basic idea that all members should work on" and to create a common awareness that "the user perspective is such an idea and example of work" when you introduce the "user perspective" again in your organization or team.
Ninomiya I think that there are many cases in which we cannot find answers to "user-oriented" initiatives if we think about them on our own. At such times, an easy-to-understand example like this guidebook should give us a hint. It would be nice if they had the idea of not thinking about it on their own, but also looking at the activities around them and making use of those examples.