Overview
At AMU Mobile in Tokyo, I led mobile product design and development during a period of rapid technological innovation in Japan's mobile industry. I managed a cross-functional team of 12 designers and developers, delivering interactive mobile experiences for Japanese consumers and major entertainment brands, including FOX TV Japan and MTV Japan.
PRODUCED
2004-2012
CLIENT
Amu Mobile
COLLABORATION
Product Design
Engineering
Development
Client Stakeholders
Direct customer
THE PROBLEM
Japan's mobile market presented significant design and technical challenges. Devices varied in screen dimensions, processing capabilities, carrier requirements, and support for interactive technologies. Mobile data costs and limited hardware capabilities required careful consideration of performance, usability, and content delivery. Our challenge was to develop engaging mobile experiences across this fragmented ecosystem while meeting client requirements and technical constraints.
MY ROLE
As Mobile Product Design Manager and Principal Designer, I led a team of 12 designers and developers while remaining directly involved in product design, interaction design, and technical implementation. I managed projects from concept through delivery, collaborating with Japanese clients, product stakeholders, and development teams. My responsibilities included design direction, prototyping, team coordination, and hands-on development using Flash Lite, ActionScript, and mobile web technologies.
Working primarily in Japanese, I developed much of my professional language proficiency at AMU Mobile, strengthening my ability to lead teams, communicate with clients, and deliver products across cultures.
PROCESS
Our approach combined research into handset capabilities, interaction design, prototyping, and testing across Japanese mobile devices. I worked with designers and developers to adapt experiences for different hardware configurations, network limitations, and client requirements. Through iterative testing and development, we explored new ways to deliver interactive content within the technical limitations of early mobile platforms.
DESIGN
Our work included mobile entertainment experiences, location-based mapping, animated interfaces, interactive 3D graphics, and context-aware standby screens. I combined interface design with hands-on programming to create experiences responding to keypad interactions, device information, and user selections. These projects helped establish practical approaches to interactive mobile design before modern smartphone platforms became widespread.
OUTCOME
Over eight years, I led the delivery of mobile experiences for Japanese consumers and commercial clients, while managing a multidisciplinary team and contributing directly to design and development. This experience established the foundation for my later work in product design leadership, complex interaction design, and consumer technology.
