Hideshi Hamaguchi
Hideshi Hamaguchi graduated with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Kyoto University. Starting his career with Panasonic in Japan, Hamaguchi later became director of the New Business Planning Group at Panasonic Electric Works, Ltd. and then executive vice president of Panasonic Electric Works Laboratory of America, Inc. In 1993, he developed Japan’s first corporate Intranet and also led the concept development for the first USB flash drive. Hideshi Hamaguchi has over 15 years of experience in defining strategies and decision-making, as well as in concept development for various industries and businesses.
As Executive Fellow at Ziba Design and CEO at monogoto, he is today considered a leading mind in creative concept and strategy development on both sides of the Pacific and is involved in almost every project this renowned business consultancy takes on. For clients such as FedEx, Polycom and M-System he has led the development of several award-winning products.
Red Dot in an interview with Hideshi Hamaguchi
Red Dot: Is the USB stick still up to date as a storage medium in an era of cloud-based storage?
Hideshi Hamaguchi: Yes. I believe people still need tangible experiences as they provide a sense of security through receiving and handling the data in a physical from.
Why is it important to try out the products during the evaluation process?
Even during the evaluation process, you need to evaluate the logic behind the products. This will ensure the products are based on the clear logic of a business model, a technology model and a consumer experience model, and all are beautifully aligned.
What are the challenges for product designers in today’s world?
There are two types of designers today: the aesthete who is responsible for the outer form and the consumer experience, and the business designer who designs the business model, technology model and consumer model all at the same time. For a meaningful and successful product, the two should work together, or have one person working on both aspects.