Konica Minolta

The manufacturing industry is rapidly diversifying, and Konica Minolta, one of Japan’s largest manufacturing technology companies, is leading the way. We partnered with Konica Minolta’s Human Experience Design Center (HEX Center) to embed design capabilities within their global teams.

The HEX Center is on a mission to cultivate a design-led approach throughout Konica Minolta’s branches in 50 countries – encompassing over 43,000 employees. Designit was approached to create and cultivate this transformation in three-phases: introducing design thinking tools and methodologies, supporting the expansion of the design strategy division capability, and developing an eight-week framework for quicker customer value creation and validation.

The image depicts a group of individuals engaged in a brainstorming session. Various cards and notes are spread out on the table, suggesting a collaborative working environment. The focus is on the materials on the table, indicating that the session is likely centered around these items, which could be ideas, projects, or topics for discussion. The blurred background with people suggests that interaction and exchange of ideas are central to this setting. This image captures a common scene in creative and professional environments where teamwork and idea generation are essential.
The image shows a group of individuals in a room, standing in front of a whiteboard covered with various colored sticky notes. One individual is pointing at a note, while others are looking on and discussing. The scene suggests a collaborative work environment or a brainstorming session.

Together with the HEX Center, Designit led a series of sprints to introduce participants from the business division to creative problem-solving tools and service design thinking. This initiative led to a new mission for the Design Strategy division under the HEX Center. Over our subsequent collaborations with the division, we discovered that their Design Strategy division needed a cohesive vision to guide their projects.

The image shows a group of individuals in a room, standing in front of a whiteboard covered with various colored sticky notes. One individual is pointing at a note, while others are looking on and discussing. The scene suggests a collaborative work environment or a brainstorming session.
The image features a graphic design with a blue background split into two distinct shades. On the left side, there is a darker blue with a lighter, almost liquid-like shape in the center that resembles an upside-down teardrop or a blob. The right side has a lighter blue background with Japanese text in white and black fonts of varying sizes. The text is arranged in both vertical and horizontal orientations, creating an asymmetrical balance to the composition.
The image features a bright yellow background with a large white exclamation mark in the center. The top of the exclamation mark is replaced by a Japanese character. Below the exclamation mark, there is Japanese text in black font. At the bottom right corner of the image, there is a number “24”.
The image features a bright yellow background with a central white starburst graphic. At the top, there is Japanese text that translates to “Graphic Design Festival.” Below the starburst, additional Japanese text provides information about the festival, mentioning various designs from posters to graphics and emphasizing the power of design. The bottom right corner has the number 30, likely indicating a page number or sequence in a series. This image appears to be promotional material for a design festival, highlighting the impact and vibrancy of graphic design through its simple yet striking visual elements.
The image is a two-page spread from a book or magazine. The left page features a large, concentric circle design with a gradient from white to red, centered on the page. The right page contains Japanese text in various sizes and one section with bullet points, suggesting it may be informational or educational content. Below the main body of text, there is a small footer also containing text. The bottom half of the right page shows two green-colored shapes; one is circular and the other is oval-shaped with pointed ends, resembling a horizontal infinity symbol or figure-eight. Inside these shapes are more Japanese texts. This image appears to be interesting due to its clean design and use of color contrast between the warm-toned left page and the cool-toned right page. It seems relevant for those interested in graphic design, Japanese language publications, or the specific content being discussed within this layout.
The image shows a modern, wall-mounted electronic device with a white and blue color scheme. It has a prominent black camera lens on the upper right side, a circular sensor or speaker on the upper left, and possibly a microphone or button in the center below the lens and sensor. The bottom part features a grid of holes that likely serve as a speaker. The background is plain white, emphasizing the clean design of the device. This sleek and minimalistic design suggests it is used for unobtrusive surveillance or monitoring purposes.

We worked with the HEX Center to introduce an eight-week project framework. Divided into four phases – Understanding, Align, Prototype, and Transfer – the framework introduced the HEX Center’s members to an agile, iterative design process. The framework’s first loop improved the interface and user experience of a key device during the coronavirus pandemic: the Temperature Screening App. Through this project, the HEX Center demonstrated how a design-led approach can bring immediate value to the organisation.

The image features a robotic device mounted on a tripod. The robot has a white exterior with a face-like design on the front, consisting of two dark circular areas resembling eyes, one of which has a camera lens, and multiple small holes below them that could be interpreted as a mouth or speaker area. There is also a blue outline around the ‘face’. The background shows an indoor setting with tables and chairs, suggesting this might be in an educational or office environment. This image showcases technology possibly used for surveillance, interaction, or some form of automated process within such environments.
The image displays a computer screen with a temperature scanning software interface. On the left side of the screen, there is a sidebar with various options and settings in Japanese. The main part of the screen shows live footage from a camera pointed towards an entrance with glass doors. There are two individuals whose faces are pixelated for privacy, one inside and one outside the entrance. Above the individual outside, there is a digital overlay showing “37.6” in red, likely indicating a temperature reading. The setting appears to be indoors, possibly within a mall or similar establishment, as there are shops visible through the glass doors.

Enabled by our initiatives at the beginning of our partnership in cultivating a design-led approach throughout the organisation, the Design Strategy division has been recognised with internal awards for sparking organisational transformation and creating new value for customers. Now the HEX Center continues growing their capability to create new business value and expanding their initiatives to the overall business in Konica Minolta.

Details

Client

Konica Minolta

Industry

Technology

Project team

Masakazu Iwabu

Mai Saito

Misaki Tsuchiyama

Hongjoo Yang

Hanae Shimizu

Ayako Fujiwara

Sai Bhavani Sunder

Yasuyuki Kowata

Offerings

Design Research

Service Design

UX Design

Digital Design

Get in touch

Yasuyuki Kowata

Design Director

[email protected]