BE GLOCAL! J2 DESIGN STORY
Myungjin, living in Seoul, Korea and Rahul living in New Dehli, India no doubt
lead two totally different lives. Except for their vibrant youth and energy,
the climate they live in, the culture, economy all differ in so many ways.
Here at Samsung Electronics, we seek to reflect the diversity of lifestyles in our
products, striving for a global perspective, but always firmly rooted locally.
From appearance to internal user interface, we take into consideration the unique
considerations of each user in every region and land into our design approach.
The India market Samsung Electronics mass phone J2 is a great example of this
specific customization. The J2 is a smartphone that targets the younger generation
of India totaling over 600 million. Let’s see what makes this device so glocal;
how it was developed and with what insights into the youth of India.
Local Climate &
Lifestyle Design
While the majority of India may be sweltering hot and humid the younger generation are bustling with life and energy.
Often humidity is a big factor in an environment such as this. High daytime temperatures and humidity levels, rich
culinary habits all contribute to one of the major enemies of electronic devices: sweat. Also, coupled with crowded
buses and trains during commutes add to the perfect storm of dampening your smart device. Oh, and let’s not forget
the wet and muddy roads during the wet seasons, just ready for you to drop your devices into them.
The Grip Line of the J2 was developed from this very premise. The ergonomically formed grip that wraps around the
entire device acts as a placeholder for your thumb and other fingers, a Natural Grip Line, if you will. It also acts as a
distinctive design element for this phone itself. A design that is not only functional, but aesthetically pleasing as well.
ULTRA DATA SAVING MODE
QUICK & EASY SHORTCUTS
For an Active &
Savvy Lifestyle
Small mopeds and motorbikes criss cross nonstop in droves on
the roads of India. The youth of India are constantly on the move,
going from place to place meeting friends, going to parties,
participating in discussions, exchanging ideas and inspiration with
all they meet. Naturally, a reliable trustworthy smartphone is a
necessity to keep in touch and stay current.
The S-Bike Mode on the J2 allows you to filter important calls
while both your hands are on the handlebar, the Motion Lock
allows you to close your device without even touching it. The Ultra
Data Saving Mode turns off all unused applications or compresses
upload data to help you save precious data usage while Quick &
Easy Shortcuts helps you do exactly that for apps you need or
frequent more than others.
Unique Intuitive
Usability
For the youth of India, expressing themselves in their own unique
way at a gathering, a party or festival is an important part of their
self-expression. Likewise, not hearing your ringtone or alarm in
a crowded loud concert is of equal importance. Shortened battery
life and missed calls are not cool. In any situation.
The Smart Glow emitting from the Ring Flash function is a viable
option for expressing your identity. The ring of light that shines
from the rear camera flash will surely turn heads while the
diverse array of colors will ensure that you know when a call is
coming or an alarm is going off. The color selection is not the
regular spectrum of colors but rather a more traditional
selection to cater to local preferences and taste.
Global Yet Very Local
The younger generation in India have spread out into all parts of the world
spreading their rich historic and cultural heritage wherever they go. It goes
without saying that a smartphone targeted specifically for them should be
globally appealing yet retain an underlying appearance that is unique to India.
The user experience and packaging design concept of the J2 seeks to
combine this duality. The lock settings and packaging especially reflect this
glocal sensibility, taking cues from the rich visual tradition of India and
it's past and fusing them with the design sense of Samsung results in
a design approach that is both globally accessible yet uniquely local.
Selecting specific characteristics or attributes from a society and culture as rich
as India is no easy task. Taking those attributes and having them appeal to the
younger generation seems an even more daunting one. Starting from the ground
up, meeting and talking with the youth of India and conversing with them
through words, action and emotion has given us the insight to produce a phone
that is uniquely for them. Not just in appearance but in so much more. Going
global while staying local, glocal is the J2 by Samsung Electronics in a word. A
word we intend to continue and follow well into the future.
