To design a wonderful future world

frog, the world's largest design firm. They work daily to realize innovation for companies and organizations by designing brands, products, and services that deliver exceptional customer experiences. Understanding their corporate activities—which continuously drive markets through experience design that touches people's hearts—will broaden your perspective and the possibilities for future design. This series presents content originally published in DesignMind, the design journal operated by frog. It is translated by Transmedia Digital Inc. under the supervision of Mr. Noriaki Okada of Dentsu Inc. Experience Design Division.

Part 1: "Designing a Wonderful Future World"

Part 1 features an interview with Fabio Sergio, Vice President (Creative) at frog. Through collaborations with organizations like UNICEF and the Red Cross, frog has delivered diverse services and products on a global scale. His words offer insight into the current state of "social impact"—investing in business and product development that addresses societal challenges.

frog gained fame in the early 1980s for designing innovative products for Apple and Sony. When did it begin focusing on social impact?

The "frogImpact" project, focused on social impact, started 10 years ago. We launched it in partnership with another company, but it has since grown into a division within our consulting business.

You've been involved with this initiative since the very beginning, haven't you?

Yes. I joined frog ten years ago and was immediately assigned to frogImpact. I've been leading international projects for about three years now.

Social impact is a relatively new theme. When did this concept first emerge?

The term "social impact" itself has been discussed for about 15 years. However, design inherently communicates with society and, whether intentional or not, always impacts it. Whether designing songs, medical diagnostic devices, or bank websites, the end result influences society and human activities. Recently, organizations like UNICEF have increasingly collaborated with designers. They likely realized that innovation and solution processes originally developed for commercial clients could also be applied to social issues.

Aligning Social and Economic Benefits

Does social impact primarily mean collaborating with humanitarian aid organizations?

No. I don't believe social impact is limited to the humanitarian aid sector. Beyond aid organizations, large corporations are also beginning to work on integrating business profits with social goals and social responsibility.

Why is that?

In the past, companies interested in social issues primarily provided support through their own charitable foundations. Recently, they are seeking to bring their products, distribution networks, and staff to regions where things taken for granted in industrial societies are completely absent. By sharing knowledge that leads people to success and creating the right conditions, companies can actually play a central role in development.

So when social and economic interests align, public-private cooperation emerges?

Charitable organizations welcome public-private initiatives. For instance, such activities are encouraged when they seek partners capable of securing long-term investment to solve significant problems. The UN recently released a list of 17 global goals, the "Sustainable Development Goals," designed to attract these partnerships. Consequently, new ventures merging commercial and social objectives are emerging rapidly.

These purpose-driven companies often launch using platforms like Kickstarter as a springboard, then expand from there. This is because people want to buy products from companies that make the world a better place. The media revolution has also fueled these developments.

How do you think the digital revolution has impacted social impact design?

The proliferation of mobile phone technology has fundamentally changed many things over the past decade. Financial services are one example. Ten years ago, banks still required branches, employees, and various other resources. Recently, services like Kenya's mobile money service "M-PESA," which allows money transfers via mobile messages, have seen rapid growth. There are countless examples where digitization has provided new ways to tackle old problems.

These technologies enabled bottom-up transformation and sparked waves of innovation. Moreover, they fostered entirely new ways of thinking about where and how meaningful interventions can be made.

What kind of thinking is that?

For example, remember the earthquake in Italy in August 2016? After the disaster, the Red Cross entered the affected areas, sought out people who still had Wi-Fi connectivity, and called for the public opening of Wi-Fi hotspots to secure communication lines. Since then, the digital revolution has permeated the social sector. Charities have benefited from new communication technologies, and demand for design has surged—especially for designing easily accessible user interfaces to support staff needing stable data exchange. This is what humanitarian data exchange is all about.

One example is the open data analytics platform frog developed with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to improve relief coordination. Traditional design approaches would have been unable to achieve any social impact.

The most significant difference from designing traditional products or services lies in the context. Systems that people in industrialized societies take for granted are often lacking in developing regions. Therefore, when working in such areas, we must consider the level of systems available.

Understanding and visualizing complex situations.

What does that mean?

It means solving problems one by one, rather than redesigning the entire system all at once. Fundamentally, design helps interpret and visualize complex facts and situations. This allows us to identify areas where interventions can yield significant impact.

This process is called "design thinking," though it's also referred to as "strategic design," "service design," or "system design." Whatever the name, it starts with the user, involves brainstorming and interpreting ideas, and then validates and refines them until they function well enough to be implemented. Many humanitarian organizations and development companies are beginning to adopt this method.

 

"frog is passionate about making the world a better place," the website proclaims. It's a desire often repeated by high-tech companies.

Labels don't matter to me. As a designer and as a human being, I believe the future will be better than the present. What we design today determines how we live tomorrow. On the other hand, designing consumer goods has absolutely nothing to do with human progress. I'm not blaming anyone. It's enjoyable work, and it can be satisfying.

But design can also play a role in shaping the future. Computer scientist Alan Kay said, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." That's precisely what companies like Airbnb, Uber, Google, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft are doing. That's why I believe in the potential of their technology. They can improve education and healthcare. Their power impacts people's lives and the economy. We must acknowledge and welcome that.

Sometimes involvement in philanthropy is just for show. For example, isn't there a bit of "I'm one of the good guys" PR, like Mark Zuckerberg's followers?

Certainly, large corporations like Facebook have reached a level nearly equivalent to nation-states. That means Zuckerberg somewhat expects to gather supporters.

What kind of work are you currently engaged in?

I'm on a long-term project contract with the GSM Association. It's a contract for mobile phones for farmers in six countries. We're already starting to see the first positive effects, and I'm very excited.

This project requires strong empathy. Is there anything you feel particularly attached to?

That's a tough question. It's like being asked to choose one of my own children. Our work is incredibly moving, and everyone is deeply passionate about it. I take great pride in working alongside organizations like UNICEF and the Red Cross to help solve problems.

So the ability to design by bringing together diverse elements plays a crucial role in this kind of creative management?

That's precisely what has underpinned many of the projects we've undertaken over the past five years. For example, in a joint project with the World Health Organization (WHO), we faced the challenge of determining how mobile phones could assist in managing non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension. We organized workshops bringing together over 80 experts. Doctors, alternative practitioners, and policymakers collaborated to understand the reality from the perspective of people who would eventually become users of this kind of program in various countries across Africa, Asia, and South America.

The very people we want to support are the ones who can solve the problems

How much importance do you place on local traditions?

It's a meaningful question, but a difficult one to answer. What I can say now is that we approach the challenges we face with the utmost care. We always work under the assumption that the people we want to support have the best ideas for solving their own problems. That's precisely why we use participatory methods as much as possible.

How long do these projects typically last?

It's entirely different from a design consultancy engagement. For this type of project, we provide decision-making support while closely monitoring progress for two to three years. It's crucial to keep our eyes on the problem and observe how well the solution is accepted and, ideally, how widely it spreads.

Are you implementing the approach the client decided on to some extent?

From the outset, frog decided to prioritize collaboration with internationally oriented partners. If you focus solely on small problems within one country, you risk pouring a lot of energy into functional solutions that ultimately cannot be shared. Our experience working with large organizations like UNICEF, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Red Cross, and the GSM Association gave us confidence that we could make a difference not just at the local level, but globally.

When working in culturally diverse regions, what measures do you take to avoid coming across as an invader?

It's not just about respecting different cultures; we need to deeply understand the region to propose projects where solutions will be accepted. No one knows the problems better than those directly affected. But traditions are another matter. Introducing new technology is actually an excellent way to foster the emergence of new cultures.

For example, in Kenya, the economy has experienced rapid growth thanks to many new ventures. It's truly wonderful to see the younger generation wholeheartedly embrace these technologies and local companies proudly develop business models to solve social problems.

※ This article references an interview originally published in the June 2016 issue of Design Report (published by the German Design Council) by Nora Sobich, newly edited and released by frog in January 2017.

Supervised by: Dentsu Inc. Experience Design Department , Noriaki Okada
http://dentsu-exp.design/
Translation and Editing: Transmedia Digital

This article is also published in the web magazine "AXIS".
https://www.axismag.jp/posts/2017/05/76041.html