Ideas are born from experiences within a 5-meter radius. Iida Yō's Creative Problem Solving

How can Dentsu Inc.'s creative expertise contribute to the ever-evolving field of CX (Customer Experience)? The serialized series "Monthly CX" features insights from members of Dentsu Inc.'s dedicated CX division, the CXCC (Customer Experience Creative Center). ( For more on Monthly CX, click here ).

Copywriter Yō Iida has been involved in various projects, including the AI picture book generator "The Picture Book of Words I've Learned," the sleep-measuring e-SPORTS CUP "SLEEP FIGHTER" conducted by SS Pharmaceutical's Driell, and Mynavi START's "CAREER TOYS."

"Ideas are born from experiences within a 5-meter radius," says Iida. These projects share a common thread: they meticulously analyze and shape insights from everyday life—books we read, sleep we get, job hunting everyone faces. His perspective and approach could offer significant hints for creating new, innovative work.

This time, using "CAREER TOYS" within "Mynavi START" as a case study, we explored the secrets to creating good creative work and experience design.

※ 4CRP: Creative Planning Division 4
※ 16BP: Business Producers Division 16
※ Affiliations and positions are as of the time of the interview.

"CAREER TOYS": Making Career Education Fun Through "Toys"

Monthly CX: What kind of project is "CAREER TOYS"?

Iida: "CAREER TOYS" is an initiative that uses toy-like tools to make engaging with career education topics, such as self-analysis and interview practice, fun. It's being rolled out on Mynavi START, a career support site for first- and second-year university students, and since November 2025, we've also been holding outreach classes at universities.

Iida: We have four toys in total, and we run workshops where students play with them. It's been about three years since we started, and we hold workshops almost every month. I myself have taught over 500 students as a speaker. Since we get their reactions and feedback face-to-face, I make sure to incorporate the feedback I receive from the students into the next class.

Monthly CX: That's very unique. I'd never considered using toys to think about careers.

Iida: Career design is crucial for thinking about your own life. But when I recall the career education I received in university, I remember feeling incredibly bored, thinking, "What they're saying might be right, but it's just not interesting to listen to."

When I thought about how to make career education enjoyable and leave a tangible impression, I directly thought, "Let's create a toy that makes career education fun." Even without someone else, using this toy allows you to delve deeply into your own career path on your own.

Monthly CX: How did the students react?

Iida: The response was incredibly positive. Using the toy allowed even students who struggle with talking to others or expressing themselves to share really interesting opinions. Honestly, every student is amazing, and I'm learning so much from them myself.

Hearing a student say, "I've kept this hidden, but it's okay to say what I like in front of others," made me incredibly happy. Through CAREER TOYS, I hope we can create opportunities for people with interesting ideas to speak up and share them.

Monthly CX: How have clients reacted?

Iida: Clients were also very pleased. With Mynavi, we have a close relationship—though calling it a "partner" might be a bit misleading. Clients naturally have a high level of insight into students, so we were able to create great creative work while learning about the students from them. This was only possible by combining both parties' expertise, and the strong relationship with the client was crucial. We have further developments planned starting in March and are currently brainstorming ideas together.

"Defining the goal" is important, but the goal itself should remain invisible to the user.

Monthly CX: What did you focus on when designing the "CAREER TOYS" experience?

Iida: This applies to advertising in general, but for "CAREER TOYS," a major point was avoiding a "workshop feel." If students perceived it as "adults forcing career education," they'd instantly lose interest. We've all experienced that moment when an ad feels like an ad, and the engagement drops.

For "CAREER TOYS," the goal was "enjoying career education," but it was crucial to camouflage that objective so users didn't see it. We put a lot of effort into ensuring they took away a meaningful experience. The concept of "toys" proved extremely effective.

However, when running ads via banners, etc., clearly stating "what they can gain" tends to attract more people. Yet, if visitors see through our intentions, their satisfaction drops... It feels like a tricky balance to strike from an advertising perspective.

Monthly CX: Mr. Iida, could you share what you prioritize in this project, and in planning projects more broadly?

Iida: Regardless of this specific project, I believe it's crucial to first clearly define "what the goal is" and then devise "a path to that goal that feels fresh and novel." Making it interesting is the bare minimum. I always approach planning by considering what kind of attitude change we can achieve by creating this kind of experience under these rules.

For "CAREER TOYS," the goal was "how to make career education enjoyable for students." The tool for approaching that goal was the "toy." The crucial part was determining how to design the experience within that framework and anticipate the resulting attitude change.

Monthly CX: How to make the process of users reaching their goal engaging is where the planner's skill really shines.

Iida: I agree completely. It's crucial not to skimp on efforts like interviewing people around you to gauge user enjoyment or creating prototypes for group testing.

Ideas for projects emerge from observations in daily life

Monthly CX: If there's anything you'd like to challenge yourself with next, please tell us.

Iida: Since many of my relatives work in education, I've long been interested in educational projects. I'd love to take on more educational initiatives like this "CAREER TOYS" project.

In terms of creativity, I envision creating projects where we establish new rules, and those rules help someone or enable them to enjoy things in a new way. During my university days, I researched "how to transform tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge," and I've always loved thinking about things in terms of rules and structures. I hope to create something creative where the rules I establish can make someone feel even a little more positive.

Monthly CX: Finally, do you have any message for creators struggling to combine creativity with challenges?

Iida: Hmm... I don't want to sound too presumptuous, but about three or four years ago, I stopped trying to reach beyond my means. When I first joined the company, I thought, "I want to make great ads as a top-tier creator!" I still have that desire, of course, but instead of forcing myself in that direction, I've come to think it's also good to create content and creative work based on the challenges of the people around me or my own experiences. I've recently realized that approach resonates with more people and tends to work better.The "Picture Book of Words I've Learned" project was inspired by my own experiences with my child, and "SLEEP FIGHTER" came from my personal realization during parental leave that getting proper sleep improves performance.

So, if I were to offer advice, I'd say it's crucial to build projects by digging deep into the challenges of the people around you or the issues you genuinely connect with. That's why I make a point to really listen to my family, friends, and close acquaintances. I constantly think about what I can do by making the challenges and concerns of someone within my immediate circle my own.

(Editor's Note)
We spoke with copywriter Yō Iida, who has worked on various projects at Dentsu Inc., including "Picture Book of Words I Learned," "SLEEP FIGHTER," and "Mynavi START."

I was truly impressed by Ms. Iida's skill in transforming everyday things into something unique through new rules and structures. I believe her approach to finding insights around her—and creating projects from them—stems from her own gentle way of deeply considering someone else's challenges or her own.

If you have requests for future case studies or themes, please send a message to the Monthly CX Editorial Department via the contact page below. Thank you for your continued readership.

Monthly CX Editorial Department
Dentsu Inc. CXCC: Kihata, Koike, Otani, Okumura, Kosugi, Yi, Saito, Oda, Takakusagi, Kanasaka