I’m a UI (User Interface) designer for kitchen appliances. I design interfaces for ovens or other electronic appliances. Typically I do my work on PowerPoint and refine the GUI(Graphic User Interface) before it is applied to the actual product.

I’ve been designing watches this whole year. I’m the watch face designer for the Gear S2 GUI team. Since this is a smart watch, a lot more goes into design than just numbers and needles, it has more functions. Smaller functions or features are inserted into the watch itself, called ‘complications’ which make the watch design quite complex. As a result, I’ve been busy drawing needles, patterns, even shadows while developing guidelines for app development.

I’m in the C-Lab (Creativity & Innovation Center) and prior to that was part of the VD division. At VD, we design TVs, audio systems and remote controls we have a guideline for all three modules and I’m proud to say that I’ve experienced all three. When designing the user interface we consider how even the channels change; how it transitions to how the main functions display when you first turn on your TV.

I’m working in the TV GUI team, but I also do motion graphics as well. Although it wasn’t my major, I think TV motion graphics is an extension of my studies. When I first started, I worked on the loading GUI—from concept to final product— and it was the most memorable experience. Now I’m working on all the icons for the entire TV line GUI.

Students often think that UI design means making things easier. While that may be true, I think it is also about expressing a vision as a designer. For example, I also take care of Live Broadcast, which is a personal video service accessed from your smart phone and uploaded via YouTube. The usual task of where buttons and icons go are vital, but I also feel it's important to have an understanding of the entire radio broadcasting field.

While the others have mentioned a specific product they’re working on, I’m working on areas that Samsung will develop in the future, whether it be a service or a product. For example, developing a user experience journey for a specific service requires a set of form factors. Tablets, mobile phones, displays, the Galaxy S2 are the main components that were developed. While this may sound like a burdensome task for an entry level designer (and it was!) I’ve learned immensely about the inner workings of the design process as well as how the company is run. So it’s been an invaluable experience for me.

Curiosity? Skill comes from a pertinent interest in the work. Research, I think, really shows the level of curiosity you have for a project.

For me, it’s early adoption. Seeing and trying things out. Maybe it’s because I am still learning but I need to see and interact with things before I can make a decision about it.

I think it’s being meticulous. Maybe it's the type of work I’m doing now working with pixels. The icons we work on vary between four to five different sizes.When I was in school I remember thinking I could make a really large icon and reduce it to the size I needed. When I started out at Samsung I quickly realized that each individual size icons had its own set of criteria when it came to detail. When I had a chance to see the work file of my supervisors, just looking at the hundreds of layers for a single icon left me in awe. I still have a lot more to learn.

I’ll add dedication to meticulous! Without dedication or a passion for doing the work I don’t think we’d get far with the details. As a GUI designer, when we release the guideline with the source material, it's vital that we get things done right as it could cause problems later on when the product is fully developed and launched. I think responsibility, attention to detail, concern and passion are needed in equal parts.

Language. Not having taken a language course, speaking in English during meetings is a challenge for me. Especially with colleagues in other regions conversing with them isn’t easy. Well, really explaining things to them in words… if I could, I would study English more. Another thing I think is important is to play and have more fun. When I was in school I tried motion graphics, branding, music and I’ve ended up doing UI design, and when I look back on those experiences, I don’t think any of it was a waste of time.

When I meet my school friends, I tell them to be true to your major. It doesn’t seem right doing other things while your school work suffers. Also, when you start off in a company, it's your major they look for and expect you to excel at. Using that as a base platform to go into to other areas is important.

I want to mention communication skills. I think the fact that you’re hired means you have a certain level of skills already, but to be able to express yourself verbally is so hard! And to be concise, yet to the point is a real challenge, I’ve found it difficult at times to communicate properly over the phone or in meetings.

Looking at trends. I majored in industrial design, but instead of product design I’m doing GUI design. I often thought of this when I first started out -- developing products for a fashion brand and a food brand, experiencing planning at an IT firm, and creating an info-graphic for Samsung before I started here. The common thread between these four projects was finding out what the latest trends were and how they could be utilized. Finding these things out may not seem like something a GUI designer would need but it helps in so many other ways.

I participated in many shows when I was in school. As an engineering major, having people interacting with the work that I designed or my exhibitions was a joy in itself. It is similar to seeing users interact with my work and I find satisfaction in that.

I like hip-hop music and have recorded a few songs myself. All designers are unique in their own way. Some designers don’t listen to what others say while others simply go with the flow. It’s the same with music. Recording music is such a long, tedious task. And when it’s finally done sometimes it’s actually embarrassing to listen to. It’s helped me to realize many things about myself. That in turn has helped me with my design work.

I get to work at around 10 a.m.… let’s say (laugh). Before I check my mail I surf the major food blogs. It sets me in the right mood for work. After about 30 minutes I immediately open my inbox and start work, setting out a list of things that need to be done. After lunch I see how far I’ve gotten and prioritize for late work or the week ahead.

I also get to work around then, 9:30 or 10 a.m.. As I’m still new I check my email often to get a feel for what needs to be done. I write a to-do list and get to doing it. Have a cup of coffee, talk with my peers, then get to work. Also our team often goes to Suwon for work so travel time factors into my schedule too.

When I get to work and open my inbox and see multiple messages with the same subject, I know there’s been something going on in my absence. I check to see if there are any ‘urgent’ tasks or specific messages with my name on it (laugh). Usually mornings are spent taking care of that and afternoons are for sketches and development drawings.

My day is divided between C. Lab - When I need to be at Suwon I usually am at work by 8 a.m. I try to get in a workout before then, to relieve stress (laugh). When I do get to work I quickly check my email because I need to see how my day will be.

Please say that I get to work at nine, on the dot! (laugh) I first search the headlines and ease into my emails. I have a schedule pad so I know what my working week looks like. Priority is given to supervisors and pressing issues. From 10 a.m., I start with the guidelines. Because we work with large appliances, our team is—on average—in Suwon three times a week. We look at the actual product and make the needed adjustments back at the office in Seoul.

I live in Incheon (outside of Seoul) so the shuttle bus to work leaves at 6 in the morning. I’m usually at the office by 7 a.m. which leaves me with three hours before the others come into work. I do yoga at the fitness center until eight thirty or nine. When we work, it’s usually as a team instead of individually so we’re alert and receptive of each other’s personal schedules.

I feel my sense of responsibility has increased since I started as a designer. In school I often did work I thought was cool, not really caring about what others thought. Now it's the opposite. I feel that pleasing the greater majority is my role as a designer, and finding out what their needs are and how to solve them as a sense of growth for me.

I’ve come to realize that the work I’ve been doing for the past two years is my own work and not something I can hide behind as inexperience. Saying I don’t know what to do doesn’t cut it anymore; rather, my mindset is ‘I need to get this done,’ and that for me is the biggest difference from my school days

For me it’s similar also, being able to explain myself to someone, be it a developer or a fellow designer, and to persuade that person to see the things that I see.

Communication. In any kind of work, really… the kind of people I meet and the diverse range of experiences I’m exposed to were some things I was never really ready for. To be able to communicate my thoughts to these people is my biggest achievement as a designer

Working as a team, in an organization and planning a feasible schedule is probably the biggest thing for me. I’ve realized my limitations and being able to plan my work around that. Working in an office as a team is, in a word, collaborative. Yes, I could get mad but then I have to come back to work the next day (laugh). So that and how I deal with it has been an important revelation as well

I agree with what everyone has said. What we experience at the beginning of our careers is similar, and for me I think my personality has become quite positive. When I have a dispute with a colleague in the office, I find myself trying to see the issue from their perspective? I sincerely believe a lot of problems in our day-to-day encuonters with each other can be solved by having this kind of attitude