METI

Designing and implementing winning web applications to help Japanese business owners find information fast.

10+

High-Quality Design Concepts to Choose From
3X

Faster thru Design and Prototyping
125%

Reduction in Total Cost vs. Traditional Delivery Options

THE CHALLENGE

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry — also known as METI — works on developing Japan’s economy and strengthening the public sector. METI created a database with thousands of business case studies to help Japanese business owners navigate important decisions and obstacles. But instead of becoming a major asset for Japan’s economy — the database went virtually unused.

The culprit? Many of the case studies existed in hard-to-search PDFs, meaning users often gave up in frustration. To further complicate matters, the database allowed for individual content creation and management, and the variety of formats caused even more friction.

THE SOLUTION

METI wanted a more consistent, intuitive, and modern digital experience for its users. So TC3, Topcoder’s premier consultancy partner in Japan, approached them with the idea of design-first exploration and rapid prototyping through Topcoder. TC3 launched the design work on the Topcoder platform — with the goal of creating a responsive website interface that was easy-to-use and intuitive—especially for older and elderly users.

In less than two weeks, Topcoder’s designers submitted over a dozen unique interface concepts. Guided by TC3, METI provided feedback and iterated on their favorite designs. From there, METI used Topcoder to create a REST API and a fully functional prototype. In just three weeks, all of the design and development work was done.

THE RESULTS

“With the help of TC3 and Topcoder, METI’s robust business case study database became user-friendly and modern. An essential digital asset for Japan’s economy.”