PLAYWORKS Launches Accessibility Support Service Co-created with Certified Lead Users

PLAYWORKS Inc. (Headquarters: Meguro-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Keita Takizawa), an inclusive design consulting firm, has launched a service to support the creation of user-friendly experiences for a wider range of people. By partnering with 'PLAYWORKS Certified Lead Users' who possess specialized knowledge in accessibility, the service evaluates and improves the accessibility of products, websites, spaces, and services.

The 'PLAYWORKS Certified Lead User Accessibility Co-creation Service' offers three menus depending on a company's challenges and objectives: 'Accessibility Experience Workshop,' 'Accessibility Training,' and 'Accessibility Research.' The firm provides comprehensive support ranging from understanding accessibility to discovering specific issues and proposing actionable improvements.

Why Accessibility Support Now?

Starting April 2024, the provision of reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities has become mandatory for businesses in Japan. Companies and local governments are now required to ensure accessibility across various touchpoints, including workplaces, customer service, websites, products, facilities, and services. However, checking against guidelines and checklists alone often fails to capture the true challenges of actual user experiences. Whether it is experiencing a product, operating a website, navigating a facility, or interacting with staff, unseen barriers exist within each individual interaction.

In response, PLAYWORKS provides a service that leverages the practical knowledge of inclusive design cultivated through co-creation with lead users with disabilities, utilizing its lead user community to support accessibility improvements.

PLAYWORKS Certified Lead User Accessibility Co-creation Service

Together with 'PLAYWORKS Certified Lead Users' equipped with accessibility expertise, this service discovers issues based on actual user experiences with products, websites, spaces, and services, and proposes improvement measures. It supports the creation of experiences that are easier for more people to use.

Who are PLAYWORKS Certified Lead Users?

PLAYWORKS Certified Lead Users are graduates of the 'PLAYWORKS Certified Lead User Training Program' aimed at university students with visual impairments. In this training program, students learn fundamental knowledge regarding inclusive design, accessibility, and lead users, as well as practical research and ideation skills. Rather than being mere monitors or test subjects, they understand their own disability characteristics, verbalize their feelings and usability challenges through their experiences, and provide feedback that leads to improved accessibility and the creation of new value. By assigning PLAYWORKS Certified Lead Users tailored to specific themes and objectives, this service promotes accessibility improvements more effectively.

* As of May 2026, the 3rd batch is underway, and the number of users is expected to reach approximately 18 during FY2026. * The program is planned to expand to disabilities other than visual impairments in the future.

Service Features

Feature 1: Real-use evaluation by Certified Lead Users PLAYWORKS Certified Lead Users with accessibility expertise actually use and experience products, websites, spaces, and services, clearly verbalizing their feelings and difficulties.

Feature 2: Cross-sectional support from products and web to spaces and services The service evaluates touchpoints with users across the board, not only websites and apps, but also physical products, facilities, stores, events, customer service, and signage.

Feature 3: Support from issue discovery to improvement proposals Beyond just pointing out issues, the service organizes the priority of improvements and specific solutions, supporting the creation of user-friendly experiences for more people.

Target Companies

This service is designed for companies such as: - Companies wanting to enhance the accessibility of their products and services - Companies wanting to improve the usability of their websites and apps - Operators of commercial facilities, hotels, museums, public facilities, events, etc. - Departments promoting D&I, DEI, sustainability, and SDGs - Companies wanting to leverage the perspectives of employees with disabilities to improve business and services

Service Menus

The service offers three menus depending on challenges and objectives:

Menu 1: Accessibility Experience Workshop - Learn with Lead Users A 2-to-3-hour experiential online workshop designed for participants to learn about accessibility as a personal matter. Visually impaired PLAYWORKS Certified Lead Users evaluate products or websites on the spot, providing real-time feedback on their feelings and difficulties. Participants learn about accessibility challenges and perspectives for improvement by observing real user experiences. * Products are mailed to lead users in advance. Websites are checked via screen sharing. * These workshops are held regularly with different target products or websites. Cooperating companies willing to provide products are also being sought.

Menu 2: Accessibility Training - Practice with Lead Users A half-day, in-person training program to incorporate accessibility into a company's business and operations. PLAYWORKS Certified Lead Users participate as instructors to actually experience the company's products, websites, spaces, or services. By observing the lead users' experiences and interacting with them, participants discover previously unseen challenges. Furthermore, they devise specific improvement plans together with the lead users. * One lead user participates per group. * Content is customized based on the target product/website/space/service and the participants' job roles.

Menu 3: Accessibility Research by Lead Users Lead users actually use, experience, and evaluate the company's products, websites, spaces, and services. PLAYWORKS Certified Lead Users with accessibility expertise extract issues based on user experiences from various perspectives, including information acquisition, operability, mobility, communication, and psychological burden. Based on the research results, the firm organizes the issues, prioritizes them, and proposes specific improvements. * Issue discovery is based on actual user experiences, not limited to checking against guidelines. * This research is conducted by PLAYWORKS researchers.