Keiichi Sato | Professor
Keiichi Sato is a Professor and co-coordinator of Ph.D. program at the Institute of Design where he has been a faculty member for many years. He teaches graduate courses in design theory and methodology, product and system architecture, human-centered system integration, and interactive systems design.
His research, for which he has received major funding, focuses on the creation of theories, methods and tools that facilitate the development of interactive products, systems and services with convivial qualities as well as effective performance. His current research interests are general design theory/methodology, design knowledge representation and management, interactive systems design and evaluation methods, and human-centered system architecture and integration. He also consults in system planning, product development, design and evaluation methods for interactive system development.
He has published more than 60 papers, articles, and several book sections and chapters. He is also a regular speaker at conferences, academic institutions, and corporations worldwide. He received many awards for his academic and professional work including Best Paper Award at ASME Design Engineering Technical Conferences, Best Paper Award at IEEE International Workshop on Robotics and Human Interactive Communications, Design Innovationen at Haus Industrieform Essen, and Best Paper Award at ACM-IEEE Design Automation Conference. His students’ design projects also won many awards. He has been a reviewer for journals and conferences, an editor for special issues of journals, and an editorial board member for International Journal of Design. He has served conference committees, boards of academic organizations, government committees, and doctoral committees and program review boards of universities worldwide.
He is a Fellow of Design Research Society (UK), a member of IEEE, ACM, ASME, Design Society, Japanese Society for Science of Design. He has been Visiting Professor at Darmstadt University of Technology, and Department of Design Science at Musashino University of Fine Arts. He has also taught at the Department of Architecture and Design, Kyoto Institute of Technology and Department of Management Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology. He holds MS in Product Design, and BS and MS in Engineering.
Research Interests
Interactive Systems Design
Temporal and Spatial Dimensions of Interaction: While new advanced technologies enable physical and informational functions to deeply pervade the spatio-temporal dimensions of our activities, the temporal and spatial dimensions have not been well incorporated into the concepts, representation and process of interactive system design. The research addresses philosophical perspectives of space and time, theoretical and methodological development, applications of the proposed methodologies to ambient intelligence in home and work places.
Interaction as Learning Process: As more advanced electronics and information technologies are embedded in products and systems, user knowledge required for the product/system use shifts from the task domain to machine specific operation knowledge. This research proposes methods for developing interactive systems that embody mechanisms for learning about the task domain through the system use. This approach to interactive system design enhances users’ problem-solving capability and pleasurable engagement over time.
Conviviality of Interaction: The quality of user experience beyond the conventional usability measure has been addressed primarily on emotional and entertainment dimensions of interaction. This research focuses on exploratory, inventive and learning experiences in the interaction process. These aspects of interaction together determine the convivial quality over short and long terms of system use. In order to frame a conceptual and methodological foundation for enhancing conviviality of system use, issues and dimensions such as uncertainty, adaptability, flexibility, spatio-temporal structure, and users’ knowledge are investigated.
Context-Sensitive Design
The performance of a product depends greatly on the context in which it is used. Use of embedded technologies and ubiquitous computing requires a deeper understanding and systematic incorporation of the concept of context into systems design in order to create well-tuned user-environment interaction. This project develops "Context-Sensitive Design" methodology that systematically incorporates context into the design of artifacts, and manages contexts to enhance system performance and user experience.
Cultural Factors in Interactive Systems Design
Understanding the cultural factors of users and contexts is critical to meet people's needs and expectations for interactive systems. This research attempts to develop model-based methods for capturing and representing cultural patterns of human-artifact interaction, and incorporating a multiplicity of viewpoints and multiple layers of cultural formation. A particular focus is on the development of user acceptance assessment for new technologies and protocols in people’s daily life such as ambient intelligence and robotic technologies in home and healthcare environments.
Design Knowledge Framework: Scenario-Based Methodology and Semantic Networks
Design Information Framework (DIF) is a platform that facilitates cross-disciplinary sharing of research and development information. DIF also provides a platform for developing methods and tools that support activities such as user studies, aspect modeling, problem solving, and evaluation throughout the design process. Scenario-based methodology has been developed as a front-end representation for easy adoption of the DIF mechanism and semantic technology will be incorporated for more comprehensive knowledge operations.
General Design Theory/Methodology and its Application
Research in general design theory and methodology forms a foundation for other research projects with more practical goals. This research takes an axiomatic approach and investigates structures and representation of basic concepts and knowledge in design. Results of the research will be applied as theoretical and methodological mechanisms to the formation and development of principles and methods. Design Information Framework is an example of direct application of this theoretical research.
Human-Centered System Architecture and System Integration
New technologies such as wireless networking and embedded technologies enable system functions to deeply pervade human activities and social organizations. In order to enhance the human quality of products/systems/services in such environments, the system design at deeper skeletal levels, i.e. system architecture, must reflect the needs of users and organizations. This research intends to develop concepts and methodologies of human-centered system integration that allow synchronized development of architecturally aligned product, system, service and business. Currently this approach is being applied to the robotic system integration for healthcare and elderly care environments.
