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SAMSUNG DESIGN EUROPE

Different Perspectives
That Unfold New Possibilities

  • This is Felix Heck’s profile photo.
    Felix Heck

    Head of Office, SDE

  • This is Hyuntaik Lim’s profile photo.
    Hyuntaik Lim

    Head of Product Design, SDE

  • This is Adam J Roberts’s profile photo.
    Adam J Roberts

    Head of UX Design, SDE

“ Seeing the possibilities of tomorrow with a new perspective. An open mind is our driving force. ”

This is a photo of Samsung Notebook Flash mock-ups.

SDE is located in London. Tell us about the city.

Felix London is an inclusive place. London is bright but not loud, and also leads the edge in design that is bold with a mix of streetstyle character and elegance. It can feel posh, but you always have an authentic pop culture vibrating underneath the surface. Hyuntaik There is always something interesting and progressive to see. London Design Week is right on our doorstep and countless design and art related exhibitions are held here as well. This kind of environment plays a vital role in creating new concepts.

What do you think is the reason why Europe became the center of design trends?

Adam When looking at the area of UX and graphics, I think the reasons these trends start and grow in Europe are due to well-established, innovative design education and the tight network of designers, agencies and world-renowned leaders. By collaborating and gaining inspiration from pioneers in different design disciplines, we can excite consumers with new directions and innovation.

This is a photo of SDE designers working together.

I am curious about how you draw insight from that place.

Felix We are not limited to London. Research locations could be Barcelona, Paris, Milan, Berlin, or Copenhagen, but the important factor is that we get ideas from Europe and beyond no matter where we are located. Adam When researching, we talk to users from over the globe. We definitely need knowledge within our own region, but we need to go wider to consider Samsung’s global consumer base. We monitor key trends in Europe that will have global reach over time, and we filter this into our strategy and design.

Tell us about the kind of efforts you put into your day-to-day work.

Adam We conduct a lot of field research. It is important to understand the targets that the project is focusing on. Through extensive research and analysis, we do our best to understand how trends that start in London and Europe can translate globally into our design.

  • This is a photo of designers who participated in designing Samsung Notebook Flash.
  • This is a photo of designers who participated in designing Samsung Notebook Flash.
Balance of Historical
Heritage
with
Global References

What would be some of the strengths unique to SDE, compared to the other studios?

Hyuntaik The biggest part about our work is collaboration. Our studio is a holistic team spanning across all design disciplines. We constantly communicate and workshop together looking at all the necessary areas with internal and external experts of different fields to propose areas of business. Through these collaborations, we would grasp the bigger picture and ramp-up the real impact of the project to a global scale. Felix We are fortunate to have dedicated innovators and researchers under our in-house Trend team and Innovation team, as well as our Material design team in Milan. Incredible ideas are made together from this ‘collective intelligence.’ But of course, most intelligence is gained from the actual users.

  • This is an image of Samsung Notebook Flash.
  • This is an image of Samsung Notebook Flash.
  • This is an image of Samsung Notebook Flash.
Balance of Historical
Heritage
with
Global References

Samsung Notebook Flash

I’m wondering if you went through that kind of workshop process for the Samsung Notebook Flash as well.

Hyuntaik Definitely. We kick off our designs with a collaborative workshop with our Trend team during which we examine mega trend reports of that year based on observations of Gen Z or Millennials. These workshops produce lots of exciting insights that often become the source of colorfully diverse samples for materials.

When I look at the Samsung Notebook Flash, I immediately notice its interesting texture.

Hyuntaik Based on our learnings from extensive behavioral research on Gen Z, we applied a modern retro design to the product. We used a fabric-based composition that covers touchable areas as well as the rest of the device’s inner surface, which resulted in a carbon fiber-like texture that has a very unique tactile feel to it.

Were there any challenges during the design process?

Hyuntaik There were many challenges. Introducing a fabric-like surface texture that was mass-producible wasn’t an easy task and materializing a durable palm rest took many hours of trial and error. It also took a lot of effort to create a new keycap design that provides both comfort and a great tactile sensation when typing.

Were there any challenges during the design process?

Hyuntaik There were many challenges. Introducing a fabric-like surface texture that was mass-producible wasn’t an easy task and materializing a durable palm rest took many hours of trial and error. It also took a lot of effort to create a new keycap design that provides both comfort and a great tactile sensation when typing.

When I look at the Samsung Notebook Flash, I immediately notice its interesting texture.

Hyuntaik Based on our learnings from extensive behavioral research on Gen Z, we applied a modern retro design to the product. We used a fabric-based composition that covers touchable areas as well as the rest of the device’s inner surface, which resulted in a carbon fiber-like texture that has a very unique tactile feel to it.

It must have been more difficult since it was design that never existed before.

Hyuntaik The initial goal was to propose a laptop design that was suitable for the new Windows OS. One of the biggest difficulties was implementing this new design identity into Samsung Electronics’ PC product portfolio that emphasized premium quality. While most laptops focused on being visually slim, we created a new definition to slimness. We removed illusions, shadows, and all unwanted details and put our efforts into creating an awesome laptop that was thin and light with plenty of battery capacity that also catered to the preferences and characteristics of Gen Z.

  • This is a photo of SDE designers working together.
  • This is a photo of SDE designers working together.

I want to know more about your collaborative process for UX design.

Adam Designers and researchers work together as a team from the very beginning to the end of a project. This way designers can contribute to the research and researchers can make sure their insights are integrated into the design.

Tell us about the UX design for the mobile flagship. What is the main focus?

Adam Each year we conduct global research and design to tighten our grasp on the next mobile UX flagship. We also actively communicate and collaborate with designers based in Seoul. The Seoul Office has profound knowledge on lineups which creates a lot of synergy when we work together. This kind of communication process is just as important as the insights and design output.

  • This is a photo captured by SDE designers.
  • This is a photo captured by SDE designers.
Balance of Historical
Heritage
with
Global References

As a designer, what would be the goals going forward?

Adam The UX team’s goals are to constantly refine and enhance our designs to provide better experiences for users. We will venture forth boldly and bravely, putting in our best effort to create UX designs that make the lives of our consumers more easy and delightful. Hyuntaik The world is waking up to the consequences of global environmental issues. We as designers now have a challenge on our hands to not only produce sustainable, eco-friendly products but to also produce upright products that are beneficial to humans.

I also want to hear about what SDE envisions for the future.

Felix It would be SDE’s 20-year anniversary next year. As a global design studio, it is a challenge in itself to forecast the future and work in this game-changing decade. For example, artificial intelligence is not a new thought, but data speeds are now enough to transform visions for AI into reality. Whether it is creating for AI or creating with AI, I am very excited to see how we will ramp up our technology and creativity as designers in the future.

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