Ageing populations may be regarded in some regions as problematic and burdensome but in Japan a rapidly expanding older market has been regarded by the manufacturing sector as an opportunity for product
innovation leading to benefits across diverse market sectors. Similarly, providing new products for a very young and technologically sophisticated generation has driven innovation aimed at reassuring parents of their
children’s safety. This paper discusses customer-centred approaches in Japan that have begun to address the needs of previously excluded or ill-considered market sectors through a field survey of recent product
innovation in mobile phones in Japan in the older person’s, children’s, and mainstream markets from 2003 to 2007. These are discussed from a number of perspectives - technological innovation, interaction design, ergonomics, aesthetics, and marketing.