Izumi Yagi
Japan
CAREER Enrolled in April 2009; Completed master’s degree in March 2011
When I was at KMD, I joined a sub-project called “Media Furniture” in the “OIKOS” project, which aimed at designing user experiences involving furniture and people’s living environments. At KMD, learning was very much a process of trial and error, in which I learned by using my body and senses, rather than a mere intellectual process. Our fieldwork involved visiting ordinary homes to observe the occupants’ everyday life and creating numerous prototypes to build up a concept. It was a repeated process of reasoning and action. One of KMD’s strengths is that students of various nationalities (such as China, Sri Lanka, Brazil, and Lebanon) and backgrounds collaborated continually. With this mix of talent and fresh ideas, we achieved more together than we ever could have achieved on our own and we felt a greater sense of accomplishment too.
I now work in Taiwan as a planner with engineers and designers at an electrical manufacturer. I’d like to continue to create user experiences that will enrich people’s everyday lives. I can say that what I learned at KMD has been essential to starting my career.
(This article was written in March 2015.)