Kimitaka Kato is President of Fujitsu Design Ltd, a division of computer maker Fujitsu. Kato graduated from the Kyushu Institute of Design, joining Fujitsu shortly after completing his studies in 1977. Earning his design experience from the ground up, Kato’s initial role saw him probing solutions in financial business. In 2000, he was promoted to General Manager, helping to lead design of Fujitsu’s varied product offering.
Kato serves as a board member for International Association for Universal Design, the NPO Kids Design Association, and the NPO Design Association. Towards academia, he is an adjunct lecturer at the Art and Technology School of Kyusyu University, and the Art and Science University Kurashiki.
Based in Japan, the Fujitsu Design Ltd was established in 1961 to align the design of notebook and desktop PCs to the lifestyles of consumers. The center is motivated factor behind them is the ‘Human Centered Design’ philosophy. For every new model, the designers place themselves in customers’ shoes, (there is even a department in charge of setting up realistic environments to achieve accurate user experience), so that they are able to understand and produce a best possible design.
