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Research paper : Designing products and services based on understanding human cognitive behavior (M. Akamatsu et al.)−154−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.4 No.3 (2012) Before launching a product or service to society, a rationale will be needed for determining whether to give the go-ahead to the design of the product or service based on the findings of the CCE. Our current thinking is that the convincibility of the results obtained and the adequacy of the process are to be evaluated. The adequacy of the process is, for example, whether the procedure can extract the characteristics of target users of the product or service that one wishes to realize. However, we do not think that we will automatically reach the correct results as long as the process is carried out properly. Some sort of evaluation of the process or results is necessary. This evaluation may be difficult unless it is done by a person who has thorough understanding of the product or service under investigation, and it may be something like a peer review. In this type of research, I think it is important to do joint research with the people who have thorough understanding of the product or service, namely the people of the company that are providing the product or service and those who are capable of making evaluation.3 Reference to other Synthesiology papersComment (Akira Ono)In this paper, the discussion is developed by citing the papers published in Synthesiology. The reviewer thinks that the synthesiology researches should be mutually contributing even though the contents are diverse. Please express, from the standpoint of the author who cited the references, how these affected this research.Answer (Motoyuki Akamatsu)The research described in this paper was started over 10 years ago, and I was aware that we were engaging in Type 2 Basic Research from the beginning. However, this research is an analytic research in the sense that it attempts to clarify the human behavioral characteristics, and I wasn’t quite sure what points ought to be emphasized as a Synthesiology paper that focuses on synthetic research in which the elemental technologies are integrated and synthesized to realize some object to be used in society. I found a way during the workshop that I cited as reference [18] where I discussed the different approaches to synthesiology in different fields. I sought the characteristics of the different approaches by breaking them down into categories: the researches governed by principles of the nature as exemplified by physics; the engineering researches that assemble the elemental technologies; and the researches that involve people using the results in the form of products. I was able to see the similarities between our research and the material research approach where one understands what can be realized by pursuing the properties of materials. If the human cognitive behavior can be clarified through analysis, we can understand what kind of product or service can be realized. I think there is a common ground that knowing well will guide toward realizing a product. Our research is to have people use the product, but even in the same human technologies, we can now compare the engineering research that first focuses on manufacturing the product and the research that first focuses on understanding human behavior, like the ones we are doing. That allowed us to write a Synthesiology paper.4 Theoretical background of cognitive chrono-ethnography methodComment (Masaaki Mochimaru)The characteristic of the CCE that is the core technology in this paper is organized well in relation to the other previous methods. Reading the cited references, I can understand the theoretical background that the CCE was created based on cognitive science. In this paper, I think you should briefly explain the theoretical background so the readers can understand just by reading this paper.Answer (Motoyuki Akamatsu)The background of developing the CCE was because of our awareness of the need to understand the action selection process after an event, using limited cues under certain situations. We tried to solve this problem by reproducing the condition when the action selection was done, and then by expressing the cognitive process using the working memory at that moment, to prevent describing the action as being selected based on total rationality, even though it was actually action selected from limited cues. The conventional method in coginitive science for not falling into explanation by total rationality is the verbal protocol method. Since retrospective interview and CCE are essentially based on that method, I added some description in the beginning of subchapter 3.1. For the researchers interested in the theoretical background, I added Note 4).5 Initial hypothesisQuestion1 (Masaaki Mochimaru)For the behavior observation, some degree of initial hypothesis (identifying the critical parameter and the selection of elite monitor by survey and observation) is needed, and the results obtained are applicable only in the set context and place based on the initial hypothesis. In that sense, isn’t the framework of “findings that may be found” by the CCE is already determined at the point the initial hypothesis is set? Do you have the process of constructing the initial hypothesis properly as much as possible?Answer1 (Motoyuki Akamatsu)As you indicated, the identification of the critical parameter and the selection of elite monitor are very important, and they will determine the framework of the conclusion obtained. However, the CCE is not a method for hypothesis testing research whose objective is to verify the initial hypothesis. That is because the hypothesis is tested to determine the framework of the product and service (car navigation or sports game attendance) such as the critical parameter and elite monitor, and it does not directly determine the framework of the contents or functions provided by the product or service. The process of CCE is designed to readily obtain the insights for designing the product or service, and by setting the initial hypothesis, I think it avoids doing research without a hypothesis and missing out the useful conclusion.At any rate, although the initial hypothesis is extremely important, our thinking at this point is that when one constructs the initial hypothesis, one must look at the objective by eliminating any assumptions as much as possible while utilizing the researcher’s perspicuity as much as possible. Speaking from our experiences, to construct a hypothesis by eliminating assumptions, it is important to have plentiful knowledge of the target characteristics as well as deep understanding of the property of the product or service that one expects to create. These are completely the same as the initial insight when the researcher takes on the studies in various scientific disciplines, and the depth of the initial insight will affect the quality of the research results.Question2 (Masaaki Mochimaru)The expression in your answer, “The process of CCE is designed to readily obtain the insights for designing the product or service, and by setting the initial hypothesis, I think it avoids doing research without a hypothesis and missing out the useful conclusion” is the essence of this paper, and I understand that the way to conduct the research is “one must look at the objective by eliminating any assumptions as much as possible while utilizing the researcher’s perspicuity as much as possible”. However,

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