In workplaces where non-desk workers, such as those in food processing and manufacturing industries, paper-based practices persist. To digitalize these processes, Kaminashi provides a no-code tool. What values does it prioritize to bring about change across various industries?

Moe Kako | PM and Design Team Manager

Joined DeNA as a new graduate. After working in new graduate recruitment, she held roles such as product manager and business unit leader in social gaming, curation, and healthcare businesses. Joined Kaminashi in April 2022, currently serving as a product management and design area manager. Mother of two.

Chia Lin Lu | Designer

Originally from Taiwan. With experience in the design field in Taiwan, the UK, and China, she joined BizReach in 2015. After handling UI/UX for multiple new businesses, she joined Kaminashi in November 2021. Currently involved in designing new services.

Product design with usability across any industry as a premise

── Tell us about Kaminashi to start.

Moe: Kaminashi is an on-site DX platform for non-desk workers. We provide no-code tools to eliminate inefficient on-site tasks and drive DX from the ground up.

Communication in workplaces still relies on methods like fax and phone calls, while record-keeping and management are done on paper, leading to extensive analog tasks like confirmation and transcription. We believe it’s essential to change these inefficient methods and digitize business processes, enabling on-site PDCA cycles. By implementing Kaminashi, on-site personnel can build their apps and perform record-keeping and management on devices like iPads.

──It’s also a characteristic of horizontal SaaS products that do not specialize in specific industries, isn’t it?

Moe: From the perspectives of product management and design, the field of horizontal business SaaS is highly challenging, which is why I find it interesting. 

Business processes vary not only by industry but also by each company. In Kaminashi’s development, we conduct interviews from various industries to understand why they perform certain tasks, how they do it, and where they spend their time, and then we go through a process of specifically mastering each process and abstracting them once. This approach reveals common underlying issues across different industries and companies. We then refine these into concrete solutions and evaluate whether they address the problems. This is how we develop the product by navigating between the concrete and abstract.

──What are some common elements across different industries, for example?

Chia Lin: Taking ledgers as an example, while the items to be filled in and the frequency may differ in each industry, there are common aspects of fixed items that remain the same and variable items that change each time.

For instance, in the food industry, elements like the machine name and check items for inspection are always fixed, but details such as product names and raw material names vary with each form. In the hotel industry, while the checklist item “Have you arranged the sheets?” remains constant in all rooms, the staff name becomes a variable element. Although these may seem completely different initially, abstracting them reveals the common aspect of fixed and variable items. UI designers need to consider creating a format that is user-friendly for both the food industry and the hotel industry and incorporate it into the product.

Moe: Instead of assigning designers by industry, we create designs as a horizontal SaaS that spans across multiple sectors. We provide frequent opportunities to understand the actual on-site conditions, and members who joined last year visited around 7 companies and conducted interviews with nearly 20 companies within 3 months.

The key to user-friendliness lies in every move and action at the site

── The digitization of ledgers is a core aspect for Kaminashi’s product, right?

Moe: In some industries, record-keeping is legally required. For example, in the food industry, last year, international hygiene management standards called “HACCP” were made mandatory to ensure safe and secure food supply, requiring records to be kept by law. When we talk about records, it could be for submission somewhere, or for utilizing data, with various purposes and uses. Therefore, it’s important to understand from the top down what significance those records hold.

── When observing the actual recording process on-site, what aspects do you focus on?

Chia Lin: I look at the order in which the recording is done. Whether it’s done while operating equipment or after all tasks are completed. These are significant branching points when designing the user interface.

Additionally, the actions on the screen are also important clues. When creating a ledger, are they repeatedly copying and pasting from Excel data, or manually inputting each piece of information? I observe these details by peeking into the work screen.

However, even if I think, “Let’s switch to bulk import if they are copying and pasting,” there may be other industries inputting data differently. Therefore, I make sure to understand the realities of various industries, find common ground, and come up with the most suitable approach. Hence, it is crucial to visit many sites and gather detailed information.

Moe: Since Wi-Fi is often weak in factory settings, I noticed many instances where people tap buttons multiple times due to a lack of response, leading me to realize the need for clear loading indicators. Additionally, I observed that many individuals in the field touch the screen while wearing rubber gloves, and discovered that frequent mistaps occur when buttons are small.

Moe: I observe where mistakes are made, and what is difficult to notice. By closely observing these finer details and aspects that are not visible in logs or data, I aim to concretely determine what user-friendliness means for the on-site environment.

Abandoning the common design sense and decide based on how it looks at site

── What efforts have you made to make it usable in any industry?

Moe: We have a feature called “Excel conversion” that automatically outputs data recorded in Kaminashi to specific cells in a self-prepared Excel format.

The data input by on-site customers is often required to be submitted to clients or stakeholders in some form. In such cases, the format may be specified by the recipient, and it cannot be changed at the customer’s convenience. This is the same across all industries, so instead of creating formats in Kaminashi, we built the functionality with the premise of being able to adapt to the formats used by various industries and companies.

── It seems like a very broad range of users will be using it. Do you consciously focus on being usable by anyone?

Chia Lin: Rather than following trends, we focus on whether it is clear and easy to understand in the field. The user demographic ranges from late 20s to early 50s, with some users in their 80s and many foreign nationals, so we pay particular attention to the use of icons. While those in the IT industry like us are familiar with various icons, there is a variation in users’ IT literacy, leading to cases where the meaning of icons is not conveyed in the field. Even if something may seem a bit uncool, we design with caution, such as using labels instead of icons for complex actions or abstract functions, to ensure clarity.

Above all, the most important point is “how it looks in the field.” Since many places are dimly lit, regular text sizes and contrasts are often difficult to read.

Chia Lin: The former is the design before improvement, and the latter is the design actually adopted. If viewed on a regular screen, the former is not a problem. However, when viewed through an iPad on-site, we received feedback that the text size was too small and the colors appeared blurry, making it difficult to see clearly. Therefore, we have increased the contrast to a level that may feel a bit harsh. This may also be perceived as a bit uncool in terms of UI design, but the criterion is “how it actually looks in the field.” Regarding the icon indicating closing mentioned earlier, we also considered how it appears on-site and chose to use the “X” mark.

An integrated approach necessary to surpass the wonderful product of paper

── Introducing Kaminashi to sites familiar with paper may have some hurdles. What do you keep in mind to make it user-friendly?

Moe: Since the on-site personnel handle tasks like setting up ledgers within the app using Kaminashi, we carefully choose the words used in the product. Instead of using common terms that we are familiar with, we have extensive discussions on what words are easy for the field staff to understand each time.

Chia Lin: We recently launched a new feature that allows input in table format, and one of the words we used during that launch was “import items.” Expressing items that change daily is a challenging issue, and we discussed what word would be instantly understandable in all settings. The key is to use words that are not industry-specific jargon but abstract yet easy to understand.

Moe: Actually, before settling on this phrase, we were considering expressions like “variable items” or “dynamic variables.” Ultimately, we thought from the perspective of tasks actually performed, and we landed on this word that conveys the idea of “items to be incorporated into the product by customers themselves during operation.”

── Support seems crucial not only in the product but also in other aspects.

Chia Lin: The bottlenecks in implementation are usually “people who don’t want to change” or lack of advocates. In the former case, we show prototypes to help them envision the post-implementation scenario or even raise awareness by putting up posters saying “We’ve introduced Kaminashi!” at the site, taking steps to make it easier for the field staff to familiarize themselves first.

Moe: For the latter, we value the coordination between the Customer Success team and the field. To ensure that the field can drive PDCA initiatives, we always create project teams within the field to promote Kaminashi and have the Customer Success team support them. “Paper” is truly a wonderful product in itself. What is written is instantly expressed, with no lag in feedback. Therefore, to make people feel the significance of transitioning from paper to digital, we believe we must provide a better experience throughout the service.

Creating a new corporate culture and opportunities to realize potential

── Please tell us about the future direction that Kaminashi is aiming for as a product that changes the way work is done on-site.

Moe: The worsening labor shortage is evident, especially in workplaces with many non-desk workers. As a measure, more companies are utilizing gig economy services, leading to an increase in the proportion of short-term employment and an increase in communication and touchpoints for education and information sharing. To address the burden on the newly emerged on-site, we recently launched the “Comprehensive On-site DX Vision” and have started moving forward with it.

Moe: In actual on-site settings, many companies tend to empower younger employees as project leaders for Kaminashi implementation. In the world of non-desk workers, it is not common for younger employees to teach something to experienced veterans. I heard that the experience of roles being reversed through the use of Kaminashi is giving rise to a new corporate culture. Ultimately, I want everyone to first gain the realization that “they can change their work” and the experience of having made changes. Kaminashi can become a tool to unlock each individual’s talents and make work more fulfilling. I look forward to working with many on-site teams to continue developing the product.

Chia Lin: Our CEO, Morooka, always talks about “encouraging the next generation to take an interest in on-site work and tackle it in their own way,” I am deeply inspired by those words. I believe that analog and inefficient tasks have constrained creativity and talent. By eliminating those constraints and allowing individuals to focus on what truly matters, we aim to create a world where everyone can enhance their skills. Pursuing our mission of “unlocking the talents of non-desk workers,” I am determined to continue our efforts.

Related Links
Kaminashi, Inc.