Japanese Psychology — “Channelizing the Minds via UI”

Have you ever wondered why the logos of eatables are often bold, thick, full of primary colours like red; yellow; blue and have curvy fonts? Contrary to that, logos of luxury commodities are sharp, cursive, and glittery. Logos are the faces of the brands and are a part of User Interface (UI) designing which describes a lot about your brand and subsequently you as well.


The justification behind doing so is channelizing the psychology of people at mass levels. Eyes are the most credible and most trusted among the 5 sense of the body, followed by touch. Due to common cold, your smell can be affected, due to heavy intake of medicines; you can lose taste temporarily, but not with eyes (unless medical complications).
Usually we observe such efforts in the field of political / industrial campaigns but Japan is one such exception who has mastered the art of channelizing psychologies merely by improving UI designing at national demographic level.

You also might be aware of the courteous behaviour & humility of the Japanese people – ‘Japanese people are humble’. But how did it happen, how come an entire nation became so civilized that it counts for their dominance in Henley’s Passport Index.
This down to earth behaviour didn’t come due to nukes in 1945, but by teaching kids from at an early age via visuals. Visuals, both static & dynamic (Images & Videos respectively) retains in memory long enough to be incorporated into their sub-conscious minds. When done effectively, visuals pay rich dividends and vice versa.

Japan’s trains, including local commuter systems and longer-distance routes that span most of the country, are frequent objects of admiration for their speed, efficiency and almost excessive timeliness. The system’s overall effectiveness depends in large part on Japan’s unique geography and some very smart alignment between transportation and real estate planning. But on a day-to-day (or minute-to-minute) basis, some fascinating psychological tricks also help keep things running smoothly.

According to CityLab, Japan’s trains rely heavily on so-called “nudge theory”, or small signals that almost unconsciously influence riders’ behaviour, keeping foot traffic moving smoothly through crowded stations. These go well beyond the basics of clear boarding indicators, well-designed maps, and fully audible announcements – which many global transit systems have trouble executing.

E.g., Japanese train systems use calming melodies to signal departures instead of harsh buzzers, which studies have shown prevent injuries by keeping passengers from rushing. Slightly more Machiavellian is the use of ultrasonic sound, inaudible to older passengers, to disperse crowds of potentially disruptive teenagers. The use of subtle nudges also extends to train operators, who are expected to gesture with their hands and state any intended action out loud. That increases mental engagement and decreases operating errors.

Much more fascinating is the use of calming blue lights on certain parts of platforms, which have been shown to reduce suicide attempts by people jumping in front of trains. Suicide in general is a major social problem in Japan, and suicides by train also cause frequent, serious disruptions to the otherwise smoothly operating system.

MELODY ROADS :-
A Japanese engineer by the name Shizuo Shinoda was digging with a bulldozer when he accidentally scraped some markings into a road with its claw. Later when he drove over the markings he realized that the vibration produced in his car can be heard as a tune. In 2007, a team of engineers from the Hokkaido Industrial Research Institute (HIRI) refined Shinoda's designs and built a number of “melody roads” in Japan.

These roads have groves cut at very specific intervals along the road surface. Depending on how far apart the grooves are and how deep they are, a car moving over them will produce a series of high or low notes, enabling designers to create a distinct tune. The closer the grooves are, the higher the pitch of the sound. The critical ingredient in the mix is the speed of the car. The idea of musical roads has caught engineers in several other countries.
There is one “Singing Road” in South Korea close to Anyang in Gyeonggi. It plays the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Unlike other melody roads, it was designed not to draw tourists but to help motorists stay alert and awake. The Singing Road is located on a particularly treacherous section of a highway where lots of accidents occur due to dozing and speeding.
USA got its first melody road in 2008. It was originally built on Avenue K in Lancaster, California, for a Honda commercial. The Civic Musical Road, named after Honda Civic, stretches for a quarter-mile and plays back a part of the Finale of the ‘William Tell Overture. But the intervals are so far off that the melody bears only a slight resemblance to the original tune. Later, when residents complained that the grooves produced too much noise from nocturnal drivers, they relocated the strip to Avenue G.

CYCLING :-
For cycling purposes, the demarcations on the roads in Japan are unparalleled to anyone. A hobbie, sporting event, and an excercise has been worked upon diligently.

For those who don't know, cycling heavily relies on markings and effective sign conventions that guides the cyclists to hover smoothly & steadily. Japan yet again proves to be a role model in it.


These subtle but prominent signs have made people realise the importance of staying within the prescribed boundaries.

DOES THAT REALLY WORK ?
Yes, even on digital platforms like Instagram, innovative ways of content telling has always paid the dividends for various content creators, including the one whose blog you’re reading right now. This is indeed achieved by mind mapping, charts, illustrations, convoluted data compiled / segregated in tabular forms instead of merely making it a textual library.

SOCIAL BENEFITS :-
The contribution of ‘Nudge Technique’ in reducing accidents in Japan is significant. The data doesn't lie.

Similar trends are also observed for crime reduction as well !

International think tanks around the globe have credited installation of blue & baby pink lightings at public places (subway stations, roads, etc). Here we get a tint of ‘Colour Psychology’ under which the human behaviour is observed is assessed when coming in contact with various colours or colour is used as a determinant of human behaviour.

BOTTOMLINE :-
By the time you might’ve known pretty well that simply asking people to behave the way you want won’t work, so, you ought to make them do the same without letting them know about it!
The Japanese ethos is also the result of a stringently disciplined upbringing from the budding stage, whose results reflect in the Passport Index. Out of various passport indices which ranks the strength; respect; and value of various passports in the world, the Henley’s Passport Index is the most credible and trusted one. And Japan has been continuously grabbing the top spot in the same since 2018.

Apart from the level & extent of infrastructure in that particular country, the behaviour of its citizens in foreign nations computes for this index. The former is up to the respective governments, but the later is our onus. So in nutshell, if you’re planning to move outside India for any reason(s), think twice prior misbehaving with others!

This in turn, by any means, is not an attempt to cover up the infrastructure lack in India, but an initiative, an appeal to citizens to do their part of jobs.

Special thanks to That's Illustration for the artwork.

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