In February 2023, GNUS Inc. (ヌース), a company supporting corporate DX, published the results of its DX survey targeting 500 executives at large corporations. The findings revealed that "only 6% of companies are fully satisfied with their DX outcomes." We spoke with Yusuke Kuribayashi, who has been involved with GNUS Inc. since its inception as a Business Architect and has worked on DX for various companies, to understand why so few companies are fully satisfied with their DX results and what distinguishes satisfied companies from dissatisfied ones.
Investigating the Current State of DX from a "Product Development" Perspective
GNUS Inc. Yusuke Kuribayashi
Q. First, could you tell us about your background?
Kuribayashi: I joined Dentsu Inc. as a new graduate. After working in the digital marketing division, I was assigned to the sales bureau, where I handled national clients and foreign-affiliated clients. I was also involved in product planning and business development for startups. Later, I transferred to the global division, where I worked on new business ventures and tech-related projects. During this time, I was approached by the current CEO, Fumikazu, during GNUS Inc.'s launch and joined the company.
Q. What are your main responsibilities at GNUS now?
Kuribayashi: At GNUS Inc., we assign professionals from various fields to projects for different client companies, developing software like apps and web services. My role is a "Business Architect," responsible for project design and product strategy. This involves consulting-like activities: listening to client needs, planning necessary research and workshops for product development, and defining user requirements.
Q. What prompted the decision to conduct this survey targeting management personnel at large corporations about their company's DX status and reasons for success?
Kuribayashi: Even before this survey, through exposure to various DX-related data, we recognized that many companies were dissatisfied with their own DX efforts. To clearly define what support GNUS Inc. could offer such companies, we felt it was crucial to thoroughly analyze why they were struggling and then communicate specific ways we could assist. This led us to first investigate the current state of companies undertaking DX.
Only 6% of companies are fully satisfied with their own DX results
Q. Could you tell us what particularly caught your attention in this survey?
Kuribayashi: First, the satisfaction level with DX outcomes. Only 6% responded that they were "fully satisfied." Considering that over half of the respondents have been engaged in DX for more than two years and are investing annual budgets exceeding 100 million yen, this indicates a very low success rate.
Q. What differences exist between companies satisfied with DX and those that are not?
Kuribayashi: One key difference is whether they have concrete initiatives for products or services. When we divided respondents into "companies fully satisfied with DX" and "companies not fully satisfied with DX" and asked if they had released any products or services as part of DX, 83% of satisfied companies had released something, compared to only 23% of unsatisfied companies. Furthermore, it's important to note that release isn't the end; continuous improvement is crucial. Many satisfied companies are making ongoing improvements and updates, while dissatisfied companies show lower improvement/update rates, and some have even discontinued services they had already released.
Furthermore, 40% of successful companies update at a high pace, once every one to two weeks or more frequently. While many companies make minor fixes like design tweaks, those succeeding in DX seem more proactive in undertaking fundamental service revisions, such as "adjusting/improving usability" and "adding/expanding new features." Based on these results, it's clear that the key lies in receiving user feedback and making incremental improvements one step at a time.
Q. So, rather than just prioritizing vision and plans, concretely developing services, launching them, and updating them as needed is crucial for enhancing DX outcomes. Were there any other key points?
Kuribayashi: Understanding user needs also appears to be a decisive factor for DX success. Looking at responses to the question "What do you think should be prioritized when considering DX?", successful companies showed high awareness across all items, but particularly emphasized "Continuous improvement of product/service content," "Understanding user needs," and "Vision setting."
Regarding "challenges and barriers," both successful and struggling companies cited "understanding user needs" as the most difficult aspect. This reinforces that this is an area we should focus on as well.
So, what should be done to understand user needs? Looking at responses to "What do you prioritize to understand user needs?", "Analysis of actual usage data" and "Quantitative surveys" are commonly implemented by both successful and unsuccessful companies. However, "Creating mockups/prototypes", "Implementing agile processes (a development method involving repeated implementation and testing in short cycles)", ethnographic research (a method where researchers live with subjects for a period to observe behavior), and observational studies are practiced at a higher rate by successful companies. This result suggests that key processes go beyond data analysis alone—they include presenting actual products to gather user opinions and making improvements based on concrete feedback.
Kuribayashi: Based on these findings, two crucial elements emerge for achieving satisfactory DX outcomes. First, releasing concrete services or products. Second, actively listening to and incorporating raw user feedback. Furthermore, frequently updating the resulting products is also considered vital. We aim to communicate these insights while aligning them with the value GNUS Inc. can provide.
The clear distinction between companies satisfied and dissatisfied with their DX outcomes reveals the necessary initiatives and mindset for DX success. In the second part, we will hear about the challenges Kuribayashi himself has observed while working on DX for numerous companies, as well as his key messages for companies looking to advance their DX efforts.
After gaining experience at Silicon Valley startup Gigster, I joined GNUS Inc., an innovation consulting and software development company within the Dentsu Group. I am responsible for planning software-driven business innovation initiatives.
