At CEATEC 2023, Sony set up a booth under the theme of “For the future where individuals of all abilities to share Kando (emotion).” The booth introduced visitors to Sony’s various inclusive design initiatives, undertaken in cooperation with users in need of accessibility considerations, including the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as the products and experiences that have come out of these efforts.
The booth space was designed with “inviting,” “comprehensive,” and “sustainable” as keywords. Our aim was to allow visitors to actually experience inclusive design themselves and inspire empathy and a sense of ownership. To create an open, inviting atmosphere, we used soft, light fabric curtains to partition the booth space. By arranging tables in a circle in the middle of the booth, we made the space accessible and easy to walk around for everyone, regardless of age and differences in physical ability. This also made it possible for the visitors to face each other and see each other’s expressions as they experienced the exhibits. People who are hard of hearing were happy to experience better communication thanks to staff members placing themselves at angles that facilitate hearing and lip-reading.
The inclusive design approach was also used for spatial components. For example, the furniture was arranged to provide enough space for two wheelchairs to pass each other, and the corners of tables and other fixtures were rounded for safety in case visitors bumped into them. Also, the furniture was given a clear color contrast with the floor to enable partially sighted people to easily recognize its presence and look around the exhibits with peace of mind. These and other design features were created by incorporating the opinions of experts and employees with disabilities.
During the event, many people visited our booth, but with sufficient space provided to accommodate the traffic and a floor layout that ensured strollability, we were able to keep visitors flowing smoothly. Sony’s concept of inclusive design aspires to benefiting everyone, not just those who need special considerations, and our booth at CEATEC 2023 demonstrated this from a design standpoint as well.
To keep our environmental impact to a minimum, we used furniture made primarily with thinned wood, and the furniture was designed to be highly versatile and easy to combine in various configurations, assuming reuse in numerous corporate events held each year. For the information panels, we used Original Blended Material, an environmentally conscious paper material developed by Sony by blending bamboo, sugarcane fibers, and post-consumer recycled paper.
CEATEC 2023 Sony’s Booth
Creative Center, Sony Group Corporation
Bronze
Bronze

1 / 9

Christopher Lye
Principal
at Woods Bagot
Little weak on brand identity which...
5
6
5
5
5.25

Jenn Celesia
Founder
at Jenn Celesia Consulting
I appreciated the approach to inclu...
5
6.5
5
6
5.63

Viktorija Valiulyte
Senior Designer for EMEA Flagshipstores
at Nike
It is great to see inclusivity in m...
7.5
8.2
6.5
8.5
7.68

Micha Klein
Executive Director
at Liganova
5.25
6
5
5.25
5.38

Matteo Ferrari
Founder
at Matteo Ferrari Studio
The project focuses on an often for...
7
7
6
7.5
6.88

Javier Jimenez Iniesta
Director
at Studio Animal
5
6
5
6
5.5

Elnaz Taghaddos
Cofounder
at E Plus A Atelier
7
7
6.5
6.5
6.75

Heather Dubbeldam
Principal
at Dubbeldam Architecture + Design
Calm and simple space, utilizing ba...
6.5
7
7
8
7.13

Rahul Mistri
Founder and Principal Designer
at Open Atelier Mumbai
5
5.71
5.51
6.02
5.56

Cathy Wang
Founder and Principal
at Montaigne Design
5.23
5.48
5.89
6.23
5.71

Zhifeng Wang
Founder and Creative Director
at A3 VISION
5
6
6
6
5.75

Esin Karliova
Founder and Principal
at Studio Karliova
Thank you for highlighting inclusiv...
5.5
7
6
8
6.63

Christina Prodromou
Director
at COX Architecture
5
6
5
5
5.25

Moein Jalali
Founder
at Moein Jalali and Partners
5
6.5
5
6.5
5.75

Kot Ge
Founder
at LSD Interior Design
6.5
7.5
7
8
7.25

Ke Xie
Founder
at Signyan Design
6.03
5.63
5.79
5.63
5.77

Søren Pihlmann
Founder
at pihlmann architects
5
5
4
5
4.75

Christopher Lye
Principal
at Woods Bagot
Seems like a low budget execution....
5
6
5
6
5.5

Jenn Celesia
Founder
at Jenn Celesia Consulting
5
6
5
6
5.5

Viktorija Valiulyte
Senior Designer for EMEA Flagshipstores
at Nike
Furniture materiality & usability,...
9
9
8
9
8.75

Micha Klein
Executive Director
at Liganova
5
6
5
5
5.25

Matteo Ferrari
Founder
at Matteo Ferrari Studio
The lightness and permeability of t...
5
6
5
6
5.5

Javier Jimenez Iniesta
Director
at Studio Animal
5
6
5
6
5.5

Elnaz Taghaddos
Cofounder
at E Plus A Atelier
5
6
5.5
6
5.63

Moein Jalali
Founder
at Moein Jalali and Partners
6
6
6
7
6.25

Heather Dubbeldam
Principal
at Dubbeldam Architecture + Design
6
7
5
7
6.25

Rahul Mistri
Founder and Principal Designer
at Open Atelier Mumbai
5
6.02
6.02
6.33
5.84

Zhifeng Wang
Founder and Creative Director
at A3 VISION
5
6
6
6
5.75

Esin Karliova
Founder and Principal
at Studio Karliova
5
6
5
5
5.25

Christina Prodromou
Director
at COX Architecture
6
6
5
7
6

Kot Ge
Founder
at LSD Interior Design
6
7
6
7
6.5

Ke Xie
Founder
at Signyan Design
5.71
7.08
5.54
6.27
6.15

Søren Pihlmann
Founder
at pihlmann architects
5
5
5
5
5
Location
Client
Sony Group Corporation
Floor area
225 ㎡
Completion
2023
Event Production