We Started the Rakuten Card Design Principle Dojo: What We've Learned by Creating a 'Place to Use Them'

To ensure our principles don't just end at creation

Hello, I'm Mao from the Creative Design Group.
In my previous article, I introduced the creation process of our Rakuten Card "Design Principles".

After publication, we received more feedback than we ever imagined.
People told us, "I read it!", and others shared it with their own departments.
It received the most likes of any note article from Rakuten Card to date, and it made me realize that many of you are facing the same challenge of "embedding guidelines".

Now, the real work with guidelines begins "after they are created".
How do we get them embedded in the field and used in daily operations?
This time, I'd like to introduce the "Design Principle Dojo" we are working on as a place for that practice.

If there are those of you feeling these kinds of challenges, I hope that the "mechanisms to lower the hurdle for consultation" and "approaches to connect principles to business results" that we are experimenting with in the field will provide some hints.

We started the Design Principle Dojo.

"Design Principle Dojo" is a place where you can identify screen issues and consider solutions together with designers.

We welcome bring-ins of existing screens or new rough drafts for about 30 minutes every week.
Using the principles as a common language, we deepen essential discussions with planners, such as "Why is it laid out this way?" or "Is it reducing the user's cognitive load?" That is the Dojo style.

We named it this because we wanted it to be a place to cycle through practice and improvement: "bouncing ideas off each other and putting polished designs out into the world." Even though it's called a Dojo, it's not a place for harsh training, but rather "a place where you can feel free to try again and again without fear of failure."

By the way, in Dojo reviews, we also utilize Rakuten AI, which has been trained on our design principles. When we have it read screens or rough drafts, it evaluates them against all the principles and outputs points like, "This part may be increasing cognitive load." By combining human and AI perspectives, the quality and speed of our discussions reach a higher level.

Consultations at the rough stage, such as "I feel like this screen is a bit off..." or "I have a vague idea, but no rough draft yet," are also very welcome.
In fact, that stage is when there is the most room for discussion and it is easiest to achieve results.

The importance of "timing for consultation" that has become clear

An important fact that has become clear while conducting the Dojo is that "the earlier the consultation, the wider the range of options for solutions."

Until now, the mainstream flow was for designers to participate after a formal assignment request. Of course, we have done our best on deliverables after receiving formal requests. That pursuit of quality is still our strength. However, most of our time was inevitably spent on brushing up, focusing on "how to make the decided specifications beautiful and easy to use."

However, recently, for important projects, there are more cases where designers participate from the planning conception stage. By actually being involved from the beginning, the following positive changes are emerging.

By joining the discussion at an early stage, designers can act not just for "specification optimization," but as partners to maximize business results, asking, "Does this experience solve the user's problem in the first place, and how does it contribute to business goals?"

In one actual project, by having a designer participate from the early planning stage, we were able to organize complex user flows, which led directly to an increase in conversion rates. Also, early discussion significantly reduces rework and contributes to the optimization of development costs. In this way, design is not just "visual adjustment," but a "strategic investment" that resolves business bottlenecks.

By adding the approach of "applying design expertise from the stage of sowing business seeds" to our strength of quality improvement at the end of production, we aim for more certain and greater results. This is the form of "business commitment through design" that we envision.

Creating opportunities for more casual consultation

The current challenge is that while the existence of the Dojo has permeated some members, there are still many who hesitate, wondering, 'Is it okay to consult?' I think many people feel a psychological hurdle to involving designers, especially in the pre-stage before issuing a formal assignment request.

'Is it okay to bring this in such an incomplete state...?'

Dispelling that anxiety and creating an atmosphere where people think, 'Even for a small concern, let's bring it to the Dojo first.' That is our current goal. We want more members to realize that 'the earlier the consultation, the more powerful a business partner a designer can become.'

What we want to do from here on

We want to make this Dojo not just a consultation desk, but a 'culture where design thinking becomes a common language for the organization.'

To that end, we are establishing mechanisms to make 'consultation from the early stages of planning' the norm.

Creating an environment that is easy to consult in: Lowering the hurdle for entry so that people can consult without hesitation even in the early stages of planning.

Publicizing the benefits of initial consultation with case studies: Providing positive motivation for bringing in consultations at an early stage.

Sharing preliminary information: Setting up a system for having background information organized and shared at the time of consultation, preparing for deeper discussions.

Creating design principles and rooting them in the field are completely different challenges, and we are in the midst of trial and error, but by accumulating these places for dialogue, I feel that the soil for 'solving problems with design' is growing steadily, little by little, in our organization.

Using design principles as a common language to pursue business results together.

We will continue to nurture this Dojo, viewing design not as a mere production output, but as a 'strategic investment' that grows the business.