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Case 08 · Mobile UX

CH.2 · Mobile UX

Advanced UX — New Form Factors

Mobile division (MX)

Found new UX for the Galaxy S8's new form factor — SW navigation, the front-camera punch hole — patented it and shipped it on the S8, covering concept, design and prototype on my own.

Period
2014.04 – 2016.09
Role
Concept discovery, UX design and real Android prototyping (three roles in one)
Screens from the 2016 invention material, re-edited for the portfolio · patent US10852944

Context · Problem

The Galaxy S8's new form factor — a taller screen and SW navigation replacing the physical home key — needed differentiating experiences (USPs), with feasibility proven fast.

A new form factor

With a taller screen and physical keys turned into on-screen SW keys, simply carrying over existing screens and input wouldn't make the most of the new form factor.

Feasibility

Even a good concept rarely gets adopted into a product unless it actually works.

Role · Approach

From engineering to UX — concept to working prototype in one go

Role: Concept discovery, UX design and real Android prototyping (three roles in one)

  1. 01

    Three roles in one

    Moved from engineering to UX, in an Advanced UX group that validated concept, design and a working prototype all at once.

  2. 02

    Real prototypes

    Built real prototypes in Android Studio (Java) and ran advanced projects such as Voice Avatar, Implicit Voice and Camera Vision.

  3. 03

    TRIZ method

    Used the TRIZ method to find UX concepts and patents.

Key Design · S8 new form factor

New form factor → UX discovery → patent → product

New form-factor UXPatentProduct
Flexible SW Navigation KeyOn-screen navigation that adapts, replacing physical keysUS10852944✓ Galaxy S8
Front-camera punch-hole USPUX that uses the camera area inside the screen—USP concept
Taller screen × multi-windowExtra area · landscape keypadUS10295870 · US10444920 +—
Dual-display cameraCamera UX for a folding form factorUS10681263 +✓ Galaxy Fold USP
Reconstructed for the portfolio
  1. 1

    A new form factor arrives

    The Galaxy S8 was a new form factor with a taller screen and on-screen SW navigation instead of a physical home key.

  2. 2

    SW navigation UX → shipped on S8

    Found the Flexible SW Navigation Key, where the navigation bar switches between hidden, transparent and opaque to suit the screen, patented it (US10852944) and shipped it on the Galaxy S8.

  3. 3

    Front-camera punch-hole UX

    Found a punch-hole USP concept that uses the front-camera area brought into the screen.

  4. 4

    From discovery to patent to product

    Also patented multi-window UX for the taller screen and dual-display camera UX; the dual-display camera became a Galaxy Fold USP.

Impact

  • Found the Flexible SW Navigation Key for the Galaxy S8's new form factor → patent granted (US10852944) → shipped on the Galaxy S8
  • Found the front-camera punch-hole USP concept
  • Found dual-display camera UX, applied as a Galaxy Fold USP (US10681263)

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