Shikake: The Japanese Art of Shaping Behavior Through Design - Book review & discussion

Date and time: Sat, Mar 29, 2025; 04:30 – 05:30 UTC
Location: Online

About the Meetup

Hi IxDF Kochi, let’s meet online and discuss the book “Shikake: The Japanese Art of Shaping Behavior Through Design”!

Why this book?

A Shikake—or “device” in Japanese—is a design that exerts influence on us through subtle nudging, rather than direct command; it encourages a particular behavior without telling its (often unwitting) user the primary purpose of that behavior.
For example:
- Footprints in a store guide shoppers and keep them socially distant
- A basketball hoop placed over a trash can entices children to tidy up their rooms
- A symbol of a shrine in a public square encourages respectfulness
- A staircase painted to look like piano keys prompts exercise through play
Combining traditional Japanese aesthetics with the lessons of behavioral economics, Matsumura reveals how to identify the hidden design cues that already shape our world, and how shikakes can help us confront some of the most pressing challenges of our era, from pandemics to declining civic engagement to climate change and beyond
Mind-bending yet elegant, Shikake presents a tool kit for anyone who wants to create their own mindful designs, for the delight and betterment of us all

Save the date, grab your laptop (or phone!), and let’s see each other online!

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Hosted By

Bangalore, India

Yash Chheda

Lead User Experience Designer

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