Designing TVs for people who try to hide them
Adding regional input to the design processes of the world’s largest consumer electronics company, Samsung Electronics.
Samsung Electronics in Denmark and Iceland talks about how Scandinavian user insights informed the design of a product launched globally that has proven to be one of their best-selling TVs in the Nordic region. The Scandinavian user insights continue to impact the corporate design development.
By Sidsel Rytter Bockhahn, ReD Associates Hamburg | August 2009
At Samsung Electronics, good design has always been perceived as a key part of the corporate DNA together with the company’s leading technological capabilities. Traditionally, Samsung Electronics has looked internally for design inspiration – meaning Korea or at the company’s various design departments such as in the UK or France. But as the Samsung corporation has grown, so has the interest in widening the scope for inspiration. As part of an overall effort to draw inspiration from other countries with long and rich design traditions, the attention fell on the Scandinavian region. In 2005, Samsung Electronics’ Danish country office teamed up with ReD Associates to conduct an ethnographic study on Scandinavian design traditions. The project was the first project in which Samsung worked seriously with the Scandinavian region as a jumping off point for design development.
ReD: What was it like to work with ethnographic user insights for the first time?
Samsung: It is a tough process working with ethnographic insights. You get very close to not only the consumers but also to yourself and you cannot help asking yourself questions such as ‘why do I do things like that?’ or ‘Why am I thinking like this?’. The Samsung participants from Seoul HQ who participated in the project must have felt this even more strongly as they come from a very different way of thinking about domestic electronics than the one that exists in the Scandinavian region – as we found out. At the beginning, when confronted with research findings describing for example how Scandinavians are not particularly proud of their TVs, we were very surprised. ‘So, people really try to hide their TV? Unbelievable’ – was the reaction. This kind of consumer behaviour goes very much against what Samsung designers were used to dealing with when working with the Korean and US markets. There the TV is much more about showing-off, and it often has a central place in the living room. However, this is really not the case in Scandinavia: you do not find a lot of ‘TV altars’ in Denmark. So we were really in for a rude awakening.
All this being said, it may have been a tough process but was undeniably also a healthy one. Samsung’s understandings and beliefs about electronics in the home were really challenged during the project with ReD and that in general was a good thing.
ReD: What was the most surprising thing about this Korean-Scandinavian setup?
Samsung: How all of us together actually managed to create a completely shared platform of understanding. Despite the fact that we came from very different outsets, the final insights and product ideas were supported by everyone.
ReD: What made this platform of understanding possible?
Samsung: One of the main reasons that made such a shared understanding possible was the fact that the project was conducted in a very transparent way through teamwork and close cooperation. Samsung team members participated throughout the entire process. The Samsung designers participated in almost everything from the field research to insight generating workshops and so on. The project was all in all very collaborative.
Also, from the Samsung team’s side there was a feeling of being understood. There was a clear connection between what was expected and what was delivered. Here, it must be said that the team may not have felt so all the way through the project. There were points in time when some individuals on the team may have been thinking “interesting, but will we ever get something useful out of this?”
However, in general, the project went smoothly. At Samsung, we have the privilege of working with a wide range of different consultancies and they all have their unique ways of going about things. So, the only basic common denominator by which to compare them is the end result – the product. In this project, the development of the final products went well. Nothing had to be drastically changed between the final product recommendations delivered by ReD Associates and Samsung design team’s final products going to market – that is, the introduction of the white flat screen TV, which was a result of the project. When looking at the time span from project start to market launch, things went fast and in this regard, the project was successful.
ReD: What other achievements have been made with the project?
Samsung: It was a big thing for Samsung to remove the blue light diode you find on most Samsung TVs. The blue colour and thus the blue diode is a basic a part of the Samsung visual identity. The Samsung team would most probably not have been inclined to do something as drastic as that without having truly believed in the research. Regarding the removal of the blue colour – well, actually it is still there, you simply need to choose the colour, whereas on most products it is a obligatory visual element – the team actually had to check with several people at HQ as to whether or not it was possible. It was not clear at the time whether it was a go or a no-go.
Another less tangible consequence of the project is the continued use of the insights into the Scandinavian region. Knowing that in Scandinavia electronic equipment should be visually silent and respectful instead of dominant has become a key learning for Samsung. Electronic equipment should be an integrated part of the home, it should not ‘cry out’ if you will. This is one of the insights that has been used over and over again since project finalization – not only in products but also in our marketing efforts.
ReD: And in terms of the consumers – the ones who tried to hide their TVs – what were the results there?
Samsung: The project’s end-products have had a very positive response indeed when looking at Denmark and the Scandinavian region. We are actually surprised just how good the response has been.
Another positive consequence of the project is that Samsung has been able to address a whole new consumer target group – women, especially younger Scandinavian women. Among this group of consumers Samsung has earned quite a bit of respect. What we hear from the market is that more women are buying TVs and they have shown a clear preference for the white flat screen TV. There are more women in the electronic retail spaces today – and if they are out to buy a TV, there is a strong chance of them buying the white Samsung flat screen TV. It apparently has a special appeal for them.
Finally, in terms of market presence, the TV is popping up in places where Samsung products have not been seen before. You find it in restaurants, clothes shops and other retail spaces. It’s as if people simply think that it ‘fits in’ much better than other TVs out there.
ReD: With such positive results, what is the future relationship to the Scandinavian region from a Samsung design development perspective?
Samsung: In conjunction with other factors the project with ReD Associates has triggered a special interest within Samsung in the Scandinavian region. Scandinavia and Denmark in particular is today seen as an important and inspiring market for continued design development and, therefore, we have taken quite a few initiatives in the region. For example, Samsung has a resident designer in Copenhagen for the next six months and there are a handful of other activities going on as well, all building on the idea of using local Scandinavian design traditions as jumping off points for corporate design development plans.
SOLVEJ LEE, SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS
Solvej Lee has been working for Samsung Electronics for four years. As Samsung Electronics Head of Denmark and Iceland she is involved in marketing PR and brand management in all product categories in the market.
At Samsung Electronics, good design has always been perceived as a key part of the corporate DNA together with the company’s leading technological capabilities. Traditionally, Samsung Electronics has looked internally for design inspiration – meaning Korea or at the company’s various design departments such as in the UK or France. But as the Samsung corporation has grown, so has the interest in widening the scope for inspiration. As part of an overall effort to draw inspiration from other countries with long and rich design traditions, the attention fell on the Scandinavian region. In 2005, Samsung Electronics’ Danish country office teamed up with ReD Associates to conduct an ethnographic study on Scandinavian design traditions. The project was the first project in which Samsung worked seriously with the Scandinavian region as a jumping off point for design development.
ReD: What was it like to work with ethnographic user insights for the first time?
Samsung: It is a tough process working with ethnographic insights. You get very close to not only the consumers but also to yourself and you cannot help asking yourself questions such as ‘why do I do things like that?’ or ‘Why am I thinking like this?’. The Samsung participants from Seoul HQ who participated in the project must have felt this even more strongly as they come from a very different way of thinking about domestic electronics than the one that exists in the Scandinavian region – as we found out. At the beginning, when confronted with research findings describing for example how Scandinavians are not particularly proud of their TVs, we were very surprised. ‘So, people really try to hide their TV? Unbelievable’ – was the reaction. This kind of consumer behaviour goes very much against what Samsung designers were used to dealing with when working with the Korean and US markets. There the TV is much more about showing-off, and it often has a central place in the living room. However, this is really not the case in Scandinavia: you do not find a lot of ‘TV altars’ in Denmark. So we were really in for a rude awakening.
All this being said, it may have been a tough process but was undeniably also a healthy one. Samsung’s understandings and beliefs about electronics in the home were really challenged during the project with ReD and that in general was a good thing.
ReD: What was the most surprising thing about this Korean-Scandinavian setup?
Samsung: How all of us together actually managed to create a completely shared platform of understanding. Despite the fact that we came from very different outsets, the final insights and product ideas were supported by everyone.
ReD: What made this platform of understanding possible?
Samsung: One of the main reasons that made such a shared understanding possible was the fact that the project was conducted in a very transparent way through teamwork and close cooperation. Samsung team members participated throughout the entire process. The Samsung designers participated in almost everything from the field research to insight generating workshops and so on. The project was all in all very collaborative.
Also, from the Samsung team’s side there was a feeling of being understood. There was a clear connection between what was expected and what was delivered. Here, it must be said that the team may not have felt so all the way through the project. There were points in time when some individuals on the team may have been thinking “interesting, but will we ever get something useful out of this?”
However, in general, the project went smoothly. At Samsung, we have the privilege of working with a wide range of different consultancies and they all have their unique ways of going about things. So, the only basic common denominator by which to compare them is the end result – the product. In this project, the development of the final products went well. Nothing had to be drastically changed between the final product recommendations delivered by ReD Associates and Samsung design team’s final products going to market – that is, the introduction of the white flat screen TV, which was a result of the project. When looking at the time span from project start to market launch, things went fast and in this regard, the project was successful.
ReD: What other achievements have been made with the project?
Samsung: It was a big thing for Samsung to remove the blue light diode you find on most Samsung TVs. The blue colour and thus the blue diode is a basic a part of the Samsung visual identity. The Samsung team would most probably not have been inclined to do something as drastic as that without having truly believed in the research. Regarding the removal of the blue colour – well, actually it is still there, you simply need to choose the colour, whereas on most products it is a obligatory visual element – the team actually had to check with several people at HQ as to whether or not it was possible. It was not clear at the time whether it was a go or a no-go.
Another less tangible consequence of the project is the continued use of the insights into the Scandinavian region. Knowing that in Scandinavia electronic equipment should be visually silent and respectful instead of dominant has become a key learning for Samsung. Electronic equipment should be an integrated part of the home, it should not ‘cry out’ if you will. This is one of the insights that has been used over and over again since project finalization – not only in products but also in our marketing efforts.
ReD: And in terms of the consumers – the ones who tried to hide their TVs – what were the results there?
Samsung: The project’s end-products have had a very positive response indeed when looking at Denmark and the Scandinavian region. We are actually surprised just how good the response has been.
Another positive consequence of the project is that Samsung has been able to address a whole new consumer target group – women, especially younger Scandinavian women. Among this group of consumers Samsung has earned quite a bit of respect. What we hear from the market is that more women are buying TVs and they have shown a clear preference for the white flat screen TV. There are more women in the electronic retail spaces today – and if they are out to buy a TV, there is a strong chance of them buying the white Samsung flat screen TV. It apparently has a special appeal for them.
Finally, in terms of market presence, the TV is popping up in places where Samsung products have not been seen before. You find it in restaurants, clothes shops and other retail spaces. It’s as if people simply think that it ‘fits in’ much better than other TVs out there.
ReD: With such positive results, what is the future relationship to the Scandinavian region from a Samsung design development perspective?
Samsung: In conjunction with other factors the project with ReD Associates has triggered a special interest within Samsung in the Scandinavian region. Scandinavia and Denmark in particular is today seen as an important and inspiring market for continued design development and, therefore, we have taken quite a few initiatives in the region. For example, Samsung has a resident designer in Copenhagen for the next six months and there are a handful of other activities going on as well, all building on the idea of using local Scandinavian design traditions as jumping off points for corporate design development plans.
SOLVEJ LEE, SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS
Solvej Lee has been working for Samsung Electronics for four years. As Samsung Electronics Head of Denmark and Iceland she is involved in marketing PR and brand management in all product categories in the market.
