Japan’s history of left-handed minorities and today’s inclusive design

In Japan, about one out of every ten people is left-handed. Therefore, left-handed people are the minority in society. There are also people who can only use one side of their body due to physical disabilities.

Japan’s environment for left-handed people

If you look around in Japanese society, you will find a comfortable environment for the majority, right-handed people. For example, automatic ticket gates at train stations, kitchens and most stationery items are designed for right-handed people.

Because of this custom in society, there was an ingrained culture in Japan in which children born left-handed were corrected by their parents to be right-handed at an early age. This is because parents love their children and wish for them to be able to live comfortably in Japanese society.

However, it has been reported that this type of correction at an early age can have harmful effects. For example, stuttering and difficulty with left-right perception are examples. For this reason, recently, there has been a trend to raise left-handed children without correcting them. As a result, there is a gradual increase in “inclusive design” products and systems for left-handed people.

What is “inclusive design”?

Inclusive design is a design method originated in the UK that includes people with disabilities, the elderly, foreigners and pregnant women, who have traditionally been excluded from the core of business processes: the mainstream population. Inclusive design aims to ensure products, services and environments are accessible to all users.

A similar term is universal design, but in this case, a “designer” devises a design that is easy for everyone to use. Inclusive design, on the other hand, involves not only designers but also “extreme users” who have been excluded from society. From the beginning of the design process, we listen to extreme users’ insights, opinions and emotions and work with them to create products based on their unique ideas and needs.

Today’s inclusive design cases

Nissin : Cereal food package
Nissin’s cereal package uses characters and colors to make it easier for children to open the bag. The design instructs both right- and left-handed users which part of the package to hold to pour out cereal with ease. One may not think this is innovative per se, but the design is an important step forward to recognizing and including minority users.

Unicharm： Transparent mask with visible face
Inclusive design is, of course, also used for other extreme users besides left-handers. Some people with hearing impairment can understand words from the movement of the other person’s mouth. Even though wearing masks has become the norm, this inclusive design makes it possible to communicate while looking at the mouth.

Left-handedness has been recognized as an individuality over time. People have various needs, and we should think about how to realize a diverse society from the perspective of “handedness.” In addition, there currently is a movement to create things together with users, not just designers. If you become a key person who solves potential problems in society instead of merely talking about them, you may find society more enjoyable.