How Samsung improves the UX design of Z Flip4 and Z Fold4 – Samsung Global Newsroom

Last month, Samsung Electronics unveiled a new future of mobile possibilities with the release of the new Galaxy Z Flip4 and Z Fold4. A flexible screen that folds and unfolds seamlessly has limitless opportunities for his UX design. Galaxy users don’t just want a phone that fits in their pocket, they also want a mobile device designed to deliver a meaningful, relevant and flexible experience to fit their daily lifestyle. .

To help users better understand the evolution of foldable UX design, Samsung Newsroom spoke with Yoojin Hong, Executive Vice President of Mobile eXperience Business and Head of User Experience at Samsung Electronics. As the leader in global UX design for Samsung mobile products, his Q&A below contains unique insights into all things flippable and foldable.

Learn more about Samsung’s goals for the Z Flip4 and Z Fold4 and the process behind the smartphone’s flexible and bold design.

Q: What inspired the creation of Samsung’s foldable lineup? How did the device bring new experiences to users?

As smartphones became an integral part of our daily lives, users started demanding larger screens, and a race began to make it happen. I was. — Two seemingly contradictory questions. So the question was raised how these requests could be reconciled while solving the problem. Samsung’s solution wasn’t easy, but it was to fold the screen.

This was a big undertaking in itself, but developing folding screen technology was just the beginning. Once in possession of these new form factors, he realized that the design of his UX for foldables would be different than traditional smartphones. We had to completely rethink the smartphone experience. We also found that over time, these new form factors could change people’s relationship with their phones. The change in form factor leads to new life patterns not only for advanced users but also for everyday users. Foldable devices have responded to evolving user needs in amazing ways.

Q: What is Foldable Samsung’s UX Design Philosophy?

When creating a user experience on the phone, most companies only have one static screen to consider. But since foldable devices are mobile devices with two screens, the UX should be more fluid. This has been the cornerstone of our entire design philosophy since the beginning.

Our foldable design philosophy revolves around two foundations. First, a new and familiar UX design. Foldables offer consumers a new form factor and a range of innovative benefits. However, while the user experience is new, it’s not unfamiliar. — There should be no steep learning curve. When collapsible, design with the idea that the UI should be mostly invisible. It should be highly intuitive so that users can quickly get used to it and navigate easily.

The second cornerstone is to remember that collapsibles are tools that help users create. Smartphones have evolved from literal phones to devices that allow you to unleash your creativity through photography, art, games, and more. We want to ensure that UX enhances these experiences.

Since the first Galaxy Fold, we have launched a new generation of foldable smartphones every year.These phones have evolved in so many unexpected ways — Some of it was planned from the beginning, while others were guided by valuable user feedback and what we learned over time.

Q: What is the difference in the user base between the Z Flip series and the Z Fold series?

Both the Z Flip and Z Fold series are foldable, but they have very different form factors and different user bases. Z Flip users see their devices as a form of self-expression and enjoy the versatility and personalization that form factors offer. Z Fold users are drawn to the big-screen experience where they can do and see more at once. They like to get things done quickly and spend more time focusing on things that are more important to them.

These separate user bases provided clear feedback even over previous generations, leading to areas of focus for the Z Flip4 and Z Fold4. At Z Flip, we wanted to give our users even more ways to express themselves and personalize their experience. With the Z Fold, we wanted to enhance interaction on the big screen, especially multitasking.

But the important thing to remember is that these new devices aren’t just for advanced smartphone users. — they are for everyone.

Q: How has the latest Z Flip4 UI and customization capabilities been improved?

Z Flip4 allows you to personalize the entire look of your device, including hardware colors, accessories and main screen UI. — And now the cover screen UI.Customization is more than just decorating her UX on the phone — It also includes customizing the user experience. Z Flip4 brings a new level of cover screen functionality, allowing users to not only customize the cover screen design, but also take advantage of various useful widgets and other features.

We also noticed that Z Flip users are taking advantage of the unique photography experience offered by the form factor. Therefore, Z Flip4 continues to provide functions that promote self-expression and enhance the UI of the camera, opening up new possibilities for FlexCam.

Q: With the improved UI, how can users be more productive and save time with the new Z Fold 4?

We’ve improved interactions, removed the step to enable settings, and redesigned menus and layouts to bring action buttons closer together. This is important on large screens as it reduces the amount of finger “reach” required for most common inputs.

We also wanted to simplify the big screen experience by making app switching and activation faster. To achieve this, taskbarthe familiar app bar that you can always have active, regardless of which app you’re using.

Finally, we’re also giving you more flexibility in how you bring multiple apps onto the screen using finger gestures that enable split windows or pop-up windows. Swipe one finger on the corner to see the apps you’re currently using in a popup window. Swipe right, left, or down with two fingers to split the current app in half. This will help you be more productive and accomplish more in your daily life.

Q: How did Samsung’s collaboration lay the foundation for the entire foldable market?

We worked with Google to create this ecosystem together from the beginning, often inspiring each other to develop new features and technologies. From the beginning, we worked closely with Google to bring their foldable vision to life, working together at the code level to modify Android to meet the needs of foldable devices. We knew we needed to extend Android to work effectively with the new screen sizes. This work served as the first step in the folding effort long before the hardware was announced.

And of course, we work with the biggest partners such as Google, Meta and Microsoft for optimized experiences on foldable devices. Today, apps like Chrome, Gmail, Microsoft’s full Office suite, and Outlook take advantage of the Z Fold series’ big screens for the ultimate multitasking experience. Thanks to our partnership with Meta, FlexCam is optimized for his most popular social his platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook.

We believe it is very important to both build a Foldable ecosystem to diversify the user experience and continue to expand our app ecosystem through our open collaboration philosophy.

Q: User behavior, or user experience, is constantly evolving. How would you summarize your approach to keeping up with new consumer demand?

On previous devices, we approached UX design by starting with what we needed and working through the challenges. We then developed new techniques to give us more screen space while keeping the device compact. The new design didn’t just solve existing problems. It also changed user behavior, changing how they took pictures, how they interacted with their phones, and more. These new behaviors have become part of everyday life for people using flip phones.

Of course they also create all new challenges — That’s what drives us as UX designers. Users imagine new possibilities, and those possibilities become demand. It is our responsibility to create innovations that satisfy them. As the cycle of innovation continues, we are excited to begin building the foundation for what’s next.