10th AnniversaryThanks to all of you, UXPRESS celebrates its 10th anniversary!10th AnniversaryThanks to all of you, UXPRESS celebrates its 10th anniversary!
CORE SERVICES
JAPAN MARKET & USER RESEARCH
Understand Japan market and local consumers
Are you interested in testing your product in Japan to get feedback from local consumers? A key to successful overseas expansion is understanding the local market and local users. UXPRESS supports a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research in Japan, from market research such as surveys, marketing research such as needs assessments, concept acceptance evaluations, and mystery shoppers, to user research such as in-depth interviews with local users and user testing with prototypes.
HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN
Optimize design from the perspective of local users in Japan
UXPRESS is a team of experts led by certified Human-Centered Design professionals. In some cases, the size of the product that local users feel comfortable with is different from country to country, and the expected experience is also different. For this reason, it is important to conduct design research with local users.
This makes it possible to design products/services backed by the insights gained from researches. By designing based on the values of local users, we can realize intuitive and inclusive designs for foreign users.
GLOCALIZATION SUPPORT
Deliver to local customers in Japan
Glocalization is a coinage that combines globalization and localization. It means “optimizing localization for local users to successfully expand products and businesses globally”. It is not enough to simply translate a message into the local language; in some cases, the message itself must be changed to resonate with local users overseas. UXPRESS is a one-stop support service that provides everything from research to understanding local users, design to match their preferences, and localization to fit the culture and context of the target country.
JAPAN MARKET & USER RESEARCH
Understand Japan market and local consumers
Are you interested in testing your product in Japan to get feedback from local consumers? A key to successful overseas expansion is understanding the local market and local users. UXPRESS supports a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research in Japan, from market research such as surveys, marketing research such as needs assessments, concept acceptance evaluations, and mystery shoppers, to user research such as in-depth interviews with local users and user testing with prototypes.
HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN
Optimize design from the perspective of local users in Japan
UXPRESS is a team of experts led by certified Human-Centered Design professionals. In some cases, the size of the product that local users feel comfortable with is different from country to country, and the expected experience is also different. For this reason, it is important to conduct design research with local users.
This makes it possible to design products/services backed by the insights gained from researches. By designing based on the values of local users, we can realize intuitive and inclusive designs for foreign users.
GLOCALIZATION SUPPORT
Deliver to local customers in Japan
Glocalization is a coinage that combines globalization and localization. It means “optimizing localization for local users to successfully expand products and businesses globally”. It is not enough to simply translate a message into the local language; in some cases, the message itself must be changed to resonate with local users overseas. UXPRESS is a one-stop support service that provides everything from research to understanding local users, design to match their preferences, and localization to fit the culture and context of the target country.
Kentaro Ide
Founder & CEO
UXPRESSMESSAGE
Why do so few Japanese products and services succeed overseas except for Japanese food? And why have so many foreign companies like IKEA and Ford failed to gain a foothold in the Japanese market? Despite Japan’s wealth of excellent technologies, many products and services struggle to succeed internationally. Similarly, numerous global companies entering Japan have found it difficult to connect with local consumers, often leading to withdrawal from the market.
The primary reason is a lack of deep understanding of foreign customers. No matter how much experience or technological advancement a company has, without truly understanding customers’ wants, needs, points of empathy, and the value of the experiences they seek, it is nearly impossible to deliver offerings that resonate.
After leading UX and CX teams at Sony, I founded UXPRESS in 2015 to support Japanese and American companies in expanding their global reach. Through our work and research, we advocate for the “Agile UX Approach” offering design research that is fast, cost-effective, and flexible. Thanks to the support of many clients and collaborators, we’ve had the privilege of working with over 60 companies in the past 10 years. If you’re considering entering the Japanese or U.S. markets, or if you’ve already entered and aren’t seeing the results you hoped for, please feel free to reach out. We’re happy to have an open and honest conversation to help you succeed. UXPRESS is here to be your trusted partner, providing the insight and support you need to create products and services that truly connect with global customers.
Jan 1st, 2025
井出健太郎
OUR RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
42
User Test
18
User Interview
45
Heuristic Evaluation
63
Survey
OUR PARTNERS
61
Excerpts from all 61 companies
- Cybozu
- Sony
- Hitachi
- Shimadzu
- Freee
- Yahoo
- NTT Data
- Rakuten
- Ricoh
- Sociomedia
- Toyota Technology Center
- Yamaha Moter
- Drivemode
- Akasaka Tokodo
- Farm Kazuto
- Pixie Dust Technologies
- International Baccalaureate
- National Institute of Environmental Studies
- Osaka University Foresight
61clients
Excerpts from all 61 companies
- Cybozu
- Sony
- Toyota Technology Center
- Yamaha Motor
- Drivemode
- Hitachi
- Ricoh
- Yahoo
- Rakuten
- Freee
- NTT Data
- International Baccalaureate
- National Institute of Environmental Studies
- Osaka University Foresight
- Farm Kazuto
- Royal Warrant Tokyo Akasaka Tokodo
- Sociomedia
REVIEWS
“UXPRESS is a best in class UX & Research group that can help any business move their digital products forward. Their professionalism and approach to usability ensures that their clients get a product that results in success! I highly recommend working with them!”
“UXPRESS’s usability analysis proved invaluable while developing our mobile game, Rise of Rivals. It gave us the knowledge we needed to achieve the best user experience possible and complete the game. And their price for the research is super affordable. It is very important especially for the start-up company like us. Thank you!”
“Kentaro and the UXPRESS team surprised us with their deep analysis of our mobile application. In just 5 days they delivered insights and recommendations that would have taken us months of user research to arrive at.
What moved them past other agencies we looked at was how startup friendly they were, not only be able to deliver at the urgent pace we move at, but also able to work with us to fit our startup budget.”
UXPRESS is a great localization partner. We have worked on a mobile game localization (English to Japanese). They are a fast, accurate and correct partner. I highly recommend UXPRESS.
OUR EXPERIENCE
42
User Test
18
User Interview
45
Heuristic Evaluation
63
Survey
13
Market Entry Support
21
UX Design
39
Localization
OUR DESIGN EXPERIENCE
21
UX Design
39
Localization
13
Market Entry Support
WHY UXPRESS?
Features of UXPRESS
Fast and Flexible
We do not try to scale our business because we can offer extraordinary speed and flexibility that is not possible for large agencies. UXPRESS has completed many niche and challenging projects that large agencies have turned down, such as user surveys with extremely low incident rates.
We support Agile development. Basically, we can research anywhere. Our turnaround time is as short as two weeks from research planning to report delivery. We will offer the best packages to fit your tight schedule and budget constraints, so please do not hesitate to contact us.
Global Markets & UX Experts
To achieve a high quality of glocalization, it is important to find a good balance between globalization and localization, that is, to determine which elements should be standardized and which parts should be localized based on the research results.
Different countries and cultures have different living environments as well as different user preferences, resulting in different contexts, perspectives, and behaviors. In the case of global projects, there are also differences in the way projects are managed in different countries, etc. UXPRESS has supported more than 200 global projects in 15 countries on four continents, with a focus on Japan and North America. We have the knowledge backed by a wealth of experience.
High Quality & Low Cost
In the U.S. and other developed countries, inflation continues to drive up the cost of services, and the already high cost of global design and research has increased. In these challenging times, UXPRESS has reduced costs as much as possible while maintaining high quality and reasonable fees to further improve the experience and usability of products and services. Compared to large design and research agencies in Northern California, we can reduce costs by about 30%. Even with a small budget, there is always something we can do with a little creativity. Please contact us to discuss your project.
FAQ
Feel free to contact us
What language will be used for communication during the project?
You can select either English or Japanese, whichever is more convenient.
In which languages should I write my purchase orders and other contracts?
Both Japanese and English are available. We can prepare and sign NDAs with local users in English or Japanese on your behalf.
What language is your report in?
You can select between Japanese and English. There is an additional charge only if you want a report in both languages.
What is the turnaround time for the report?
Once the research is complete, we deliver it in as little as 3 business days, or around 5 business days for a typical project.
To what extent are we allowed to share the reports we purchase?
Direct sharing of reports is limited to use within the same company (e.g., use for internal training →OK / share with external parties such as affiliated companies → NG).
Is it possible to research niche projects with a limited number of products and target users?
We have experience in niche projects with a 2% incidence rate. It depends on the number of subjects required, so please contact us in advance.
Is it possible to research specific industries?
We receive various design and research requests from companies in a wide range of industries and sizes, from IT to traditional crafts, and conduct research regardless of industry. Please do not hesitate to contact us even if you are in a niche industry.
What makes UXPRESS different from other design and research agencies?
While other companies may use AI or the Internet to gather information, UXPRESS strives to provide real voices and live information, such as information gathered from interviews with local target users.
How much does research cost?
Since it depends on what you want to know, the number of subjects you need, and the frequency of your target subjects, we will provide you with a quote after hearing your requirements in advance. Our fees are typically 20-30% lower than those of large research agencies. If you have a limited budget, please let us know and we will do our best to stay within your budget.
Can you do research on countries other than Japan and the United States?
Through our international network, we are also able to conduct research on a global scale outside of Japan and the United States.
What payment methods do you accept?
You can send money to our U.S. corporate bank account by wire transfer or pay by credit card. Please note that bank transfer fees are the responsibility of the customer. When you pay by credit card there is an extra 3% handling fee added on.
Is the payment in USD or JPY?
The invoice will be in USD. The exchange rate will be the interbank market rate at the time of the estimate.
How will taxes be handled, such as consumption tax and withholding tax in Japan?
In California, where we are based, our services are not subject to taxation, so there is no need to pay taxes. In addition, since we are a U.S. corporation, and in many cases we provide services from the U.S., taxes are paid in the U.S. Therefore, there is no need to pay withholding taxes in Japan.
Who is your primary bank?
Wells Fargo Bank
What is the due date for invoice payment?
Payment for the invoice is the end of the following month.