Professor Inobori's Perspective: “Things Remake People”

The Design That Took Customer Satisfaction from 278th to 1st in the U.S.

At one airport, the route to the baggage claim area was intentionally doubled in length. Rationally, this might seem like a “downgrade,” but by changing passengers’ perception of the waiting time, the airport’s customer satisfaction ranking jumped to No. 1 in the U.S.

“Ontological Design” and the Rise of AI

What this example reveals is the concept of “ontological design.” As we design tools, those tools simultaneously shape and redesign our own thoughts and behaviors. Today, a new actor—AI—is beginning to enter this dynamic.