Accenture Interactive Expands its Design Capability in Japan

Opens First Fjord Design Studio in Tokyo, Strengthening Ability to Create Client Experiences at the Intersection of Innovation and Purpose

Accenture announced the opening of the Tokyo studio for Fjord, design and innovation from Accenture Interactive. The launch marks the first Fjord design studio in Japan. By introducing the capabilities of the world’s largest design and innovation consultancy in the local market, Accenture Interactive strengthens its commitment to unlocking Japan’s innovation potential through the power of human-centered experiences.

Founded in 2001, Fjord became part of Accenture Interactive in 2013. With more than 1,200 designers in 33 studios worldwide, Fjord is a global leader in strategic design and innovation. The new studio, opening today, is located at the Accenture Interactive Studio Tokyo in Azabu, Tokyo. Led by Kohei Bansho and Eduardo Kranz, Fjord Tokyo designers will bring design-led strategy, service design, and organizational / cultural innovation to create digital services people love and that support the business transformation of Japanese clients.

Read More: GrowthZone Announces Acquisition by Greenridge Investment Partners

Fjord works with some of the world’s most-recognized brands to reimagine their customer experiences through a human-centric approach to design, including:

• RBS, for which it invented and launched Bó by NatWest, a new ‘neobank’ for one of the UK’s largest financial institutions, helping customers cultivate healthier financial habits
• Finnair, reimagining the airline’s customer experience and using advanced technology to design a mobile travel companion and other digital services, bringing peace of mind to air travelers.
• Auris Health (part of Johnson & Johnson), which worked with Fjord’s connected products team on revolutionizing endoscopy, allowing physicians to diagnose and treat small, hard-to-reach peripheral nodules earlier — and with greater precision.

The design team at Fjord Tokyo gathers to commemorate its first studio opening in Japan

“Faced with digital disruption, businesses in Japan are placing a growing emphasis on experience and design to meet people’s diverse and ever-changing needs. By combining the power of design with the strong technical expertise Japan is known for, businesses have the potential to create the kinds of superior experiences today’s consumers expect and crave,” said Junichiro Kurokawa, Accenture Interactive Japan Lead. ”By adding Fjord’s capability to design for human impact, Accenture Interactive can further help our clients drive sustainable growth by creating experiences with purpose at their core.”

Read More: AiThority Interview with Mike Anderson (Tealium) and Momchil Kyurkchiev (Leanplum)

Kurokawa continues: “With ‘Reinvent the Experience’ as our common mission, Accenture Interactive and IMJ have collaborated to solve clients’ challenges with digital technologies. Now, by bringing Fjord’s world-class design capabilities to the team, Accenture Interactive can further help clients design experience — from strategy to delivery — in the local market and beyond.”

Kohei Bansho, studio lead of Fjord Tokyo, added, “Our diverse and skilled designers from around the world share a common passion: to make Japanese lives better. We look forward to advancing the world’s leading ‘Made in Japan’ brands on their paths to innovation, right here from Tokyo.”

Read More: AiThority Interview with Lisa Woodley, VP of Customer Experience at NTT DATA Services