We help design
imaginative products for Japan from a deep understanding of people and culture.

Ways
we work

Your design team in Japan

We work with your team to continuously plan, design and test releases that meet the unique demands of the local market.

UX research

We help you learn people's thinking,
tastes and behaviors, how they see their world and how your product fits in.

UX audit

We uncover and outline issues from big to small, provide the cultural context, and paint a picture of what good looks like.

Design discovery

We identify new opportunities to serve Japanese customers, and design and test product experiences that move the needle.

Japan Immersion
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We identify new opportunities to serve Japanese customers, and design and test product experiences that move the needle.

Community

We’re active organizers and contributors to design events in Tokyo and around the world.

Our
work

UX Research

Indeed
Photograph of an AQ researcher interviewing a jobseeker at their home

We gathered key insights about the Japanese job search experience from dozens of home and office interviews, informing the product strategy and business case.

Design, strategy & development

asics
Screenshots of the ASICS running application for PC and mobile

AQ helped ASICS to design and grow their flagship digital product over six years: a set of tools that millions of runners used to achieve performance goals.

View case study

UX Research

MERCARI

We helped Mercari's design team   understand the experience of users with visual and motor impairments, and build a plan to infuse accessibility into their design process.

Design consulting

Medium
An illustration of variable spacing between characters in Japanese text, decorated to look like bamboo

Designing for a growing Japanese userbase

Medium redefined online writing with careful typography and UI design. We helped their design team translate this experience for the Japanese language.

View case study
An illustration of variable spacing between characters in Japanese text, decorated to look like bamboo