Foldable UX framework
Developed the concept for the Galaxy Flip cover display and secured a widget patent. Enhanced usability for the larger cover display, leading to the launch of the Brief Widget, which provides users with at-a-glance information and 12% sales improvement compared with previous model.
Samsung Electronics
Role
Product & System designer
Participants
Team of 2 designers
Duration
2022.09 - 2023.06
We focused on creating a seamless experience between the cover screen and the unfolded main display, ensuring tasks can continue effortlessly across both. The larger cover now supports native apps like Weather, Alarm, and Health, as well as third-party apps such as YouTube, Google Messages, and Google Stocks, encouraging more frequent fold-unfold interactions.
Problem : Continuity between folding and unfolding experience. Foldable devices caused UX issues due to display transitions and layout inconsistencies between the cover and main screen.
Solution : Built a cohesive framework for the Flip cover screen that aligns with One UI. This approach can provide seamless UX continuity when unfolding and maintain layout consistency, support personalization, and reduce context-switching friction.
I focuesed
For maximizing UX continuity Making unfamiliar user journey easier Personalized yet Productive cover
1 Since some higher-end features continue to need the primary screen, users will naturally switch by opening the device. To accommodate such a transition smoothly, we worked to optimize the major UI components for the cover screen—transitioning them from the primary screen into system components compatible with the cover. This makes the switch functional and visually seamless between the two display modes, reducing the disruption of thought and allowing for a cohesive user experience in and out
2 In translating major screen elements to the cover screen, visibility and visual balance were paramount. We created a cover UX design that maintained users' personalized wallpaper via a blurred, dimmed overlay—improving legibility without sacrificing aesthetic personality. This design provides a balance of usability and emotional connection, providing clarity in all lighting environments without sacrificing personalization.
3 At the heart of the experience was the widget system, enabling users to access key features—such as calendar events, messages, or weather—without opening the device. I helped to establish the layouts for widgets to be modular, reactive, and scalable, maintaining the appearance of visual simplicity and efficient interactions. This created the patented solution of the Brief Widget, which displays key information at a glance.
We took this widget framework and extended it to third-party applications as well, building a common UI framework that allows external services to naturally fit into the cover screen ecosystem. This involved close collaboration with developers and worldwide UX teams to achieve visual standards and interaction uniformity across the various applications' behavior.
In the end, the cover display provides glanceable entry for times when users need to quickly take a peek or take action without interruption. Whether it's glancing at a notification or skipping a song, the folding experience becomes more seamless, functional, and visually cohesive—developing a coherent product interaction from folded to full view.
Outcomes
+12% sales uplift 3 patents on widget 3P partners involved
10M units sold compared to previous model Making unfamiliar user journey easier Integration with 12 third party partners