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Introduction Circulate all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people

"What can I do to help society thrive with the finite resources we have?" The Mercari marketplace app was born in 2013 out of this thought by our founder Shintaro Yamada as he traveled the world. We believe that by circulating all forms of value, not just physical things and money, we can create opportunities for anyone to realize their dreams and contribute to society and the people around them. Mercari aims to use technology to connect people all over the world and create a world where anyone can unleash their potential.For more information about Mercari Group's mission, see Mercari's Culture Doc.

Equal Opportunity Hiring

Here at Mercari, we work to realize a world in which no one's potential is limited by their background and everyone has the opportunity to freely create value. We also firmly believe that a mindset of Inclusion & Diversity is essential for us to achieve our mission.

This, of course, extends to our hiring practices as well. Mercari is committed to eliminating discrimination based on age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, physical disability, and other such factors so that anyone who shares our mission and values can join us, regardless of their background. For more details, please read our I&D Statement.

Team's Mission / Work Responsibilities

Under the mission of "Pioneering the path toward undiscovered value," Mercari Group established the R&D organization, Mercari R4D, to contribute to the realization of a society that circulates all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people, and to foment the future of innovation. At R4D, we have been working on creating pathways to new value, emphasizing a co-innovation approach.

Co-innovation is an R&D mechanism that aims to solve social issues and realize a better society by engaging in collaboration beyond the boundaries of communities such fields as industry and academia, and even going beyond national borders. Ever since its establishment, R4D has always aimed to be a hub that connects all communities.

As a step toward becoming a world-leading center for co-innovation, R4D wants to create a place where everyone can experience the potential of future innovation through our research.

Currently, focusing on the core concept of "using technology to change the way we exchange value," R4D has been working on sparking innovation in Mercari Group's services and businesses, including areas such as AI, blockchain, HCI (Human Computer Interaction), quantum computing, mobility, communication, ELSI, and more.

For the R4D Research intern position, we are looking for researchers on challenging research projects on the following themes. As one of R4D's researchers, the R4D research interns work closely with internal product teams at Mercari Group and external research institutes such as universities to lead research projects with the goal of sparking innovation.

(Learn more about Mercari's mission and values here.)

Specific research themes are as follows.

a11y / HCI Internship Themes

Scope

• 2-3 months long research project based on the state of the art research published in accessibility / HCI research. The idea is to at least complete a working prototype within the internship duration, with possible evaluation and publication later on.
• Expected contribution: enough for a poster submission at such top conferences as ACM ASSETS or ACM CHI
• Required experience: experience in mobile or web development, some experience in running models locally or remotely (e.g., Python, PyTorch, using OpenAI API, or other tools), ability and knowledge in conducting academic research (reviewing literature, knowledge and understanding of presented areas of research)

Themes

1. Accessible and automated item listing creation process through accessible picture taking and generative image description

• Problem:
• Listing creation is perhaps the most common problem on why users with vision disabilities are reluctant to participate in C2C platforms as sellers. Users commonly reported experiencing difficulties with taking a picture and creating a detailed item description that mentions certain specific issues about the item (e.g., missing items, scuff marks, etc.). How can we make this process accessible? We are looking for a limited scope survey along with prototype proposal and/or creation during this project
• Examples of similar papers:
• GenAssist: Making Image Generation Accessible
• Hacking, Switching, Combining: Understanding and Supporting DIY Assistive Technology Design by Blind People
• MultiViz: Towards User-Centric Visualizations and Interpretations of Multimodal Models

2. Exploring accessible authentication and identity verification methods for users with vision disabilities

• Problem:
• C2C marketplaces require users to provide some form of identity verification and authentication to shop and sell items online. However current methods are not always accessible to users with visual impairments, as they require users to take a picture, user input forms, or make certain movements on camera or onscreen. Furthermore, since identity verification often requires exposing personal information, such as documents, there is an existing risk in exposing personal information to third parties. How can we make the process of identity verification and authentication accessible and secure for potential and existing Mercari users? This study assumes creating a short survey and proposing a potential prototype solution for the problem.
• Examples of similar papers:
• Why I Can't Authenticate — Understanding the Low Adoption of Authentication Ceremonies with Autoethnography
• "As Usual, I Needed Assistance of a Seeing Person": Experiences and Challenges of People with Disabilities and Authentication Methods
• Exploring the Accessibility of Crypto Technologies
• Authentication Challenges in Customer Service Settings Experienced by Deaf and Hard of Hearing People
• "Dump it, Destroy it, Send it to Data Heaven": Blind People's Expectations for Visual Privacy in Visual Assistance Technologies
• OneButtonPIN: A Single Button Authentication Method for Blind or Low Vision Users to Improve Accessibility and Prevent Eavesdropping

3. Interface layout generation for online shopping accessibility

• Problem:
• For the past few years generative models have been actively used in generating new user interfaces on the go. How can we leverage state of the art generative models in creating adaptive accessible listing interfaces for users with disabilities? This project assumes creating a limited scope prototype that addresses a certain interface problem through Generative AI.
• Examples of similar papers:
• Layout Generation for Various Scenarios in Mobile Shopping Applications
• Computational Approaches for Understanding, Generating, and Adapting User Interfaces
• Bridging the Gap Between UX Practitioners' Work Practices and AI-Enabled Design Support Tools
• The Guizmo Framework for Generating Final User Interfaces from Wireframes

Unique and Bold Challenges

• Contribute to Mercari's mission of "Circulate all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people'' by being involved in cutting-edge research and development.
• Experience a rare position within the company that will allow you to take on the highly valuable challenge of implementing the results of your research into society.
• Collaborate with researchers from universities, enabling us as a private company to carry out long-term research projects that are not bound by conventional frameworks.
• Obtain technical input from Mercari Group products and services, such as the Mercari marketplace app and the Merpay payment services, which are used by 20 million people each month.

Required Qualifications

• Shared understanding and belief in our company's mission and values
• Graduate students who are currently enrolled in a PhD course.
• Able to communicate in English(Reading, Writing, Conversation)
• Able to join Mercari after October 2024 as a new graduate.
• Able to work at least 20 hours per week during a 2-3 month internship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Motivated to open the door to new research fields and work with various stakeholders to implement specific ideas that contribute to Mercari's mission.

Screening Criteria

• Please submit the following items when applying (free format):
• CV
• Resume with specialized research experience

Language Requirements

• English: Independent (CEFR - B2)
• Japanese: Basic (CEFR - A2)

Related Articles

• R4D corporate page
• Using Science and Technology to Pioneer a New Society : Mercari R4D Encourages Co-Innovation as a Hub for Research and Development
• Innovation for Mercari's Future: R4D Members on Research at Mercari and Putting Their Findings Out Into the World
• Pioneering the Path Toward Undiscovered Value: Yoshihiro Kawahara and Masaya Mori on R4D's Impact on R&D in Japan
• YouTube channel

Working ConditionsEmployment Status

Intern

Office

Roppongi

• Smoking is prohibited within our offices
• Mercari has introduced a work style policy called "Your Choice." Each member is free to choose whether they want to work in the office or work fully remote. *Exceptions made for certain kinds of work.

Work Hours

• Able to work more than 20 hours per week
• 3 months of Internship is encouraged. Please consult with the recruiter if you prefer shorter/longer period

Salary

• Hourly wage (Salary: Negotiable)
  

Benefits

• Full transportation coverage
• Custom PC
• Dual screen if needed
• Visa support
• Accommodation for those who are from outside of Tokyo area

MediaCorporate Sites

• Mercari, Inc.
• Merpay, Inc. [Japanese]
• Mercoin, Inc
• Mercari US

Owned Media

• Mercari Careers
• Mercari Engineering Portal
• Mercan - Introduces the people that make Mercari
• Mercari US Careers
• Mercari US Blog