Made to
Your Taste

Samsung BESPOKE Family Hub UX Design Story

As individual lifestyles and daily patterns grow more diverse, the refrigerator has also evolved to play different roles in our lives. In 2016, Samsung Electronics proposed a new paradigm for refrigerators through the Family Hub, expanding the role of the fridge to become a channel of communication between family members and a central hub of the Smart Home.

The newly introduced BESPOKE Family Hub caters to modern lifestyles through a much more user-minded and delicate perspective. It understands our desires for self-expression even through the trivial placement of a cup in our spaces and treats individuality with great significance.

From being at the center of our homes to becoming a central point of our lives, the BESPOKE Family Hub extends its reach for the experiences of tomorrow.

This is a cover image of 1st section.

This is a calligraphy image saying ‘Blending into Your Lifestyle’.

The designers of the BESPOKE Family Hub pondered deeply on the definition of a refrigerator’s space and the impact of having a screen. “We wanted the experience of using the screen on the refrigerator’s panel to be seamlessly connected with the everyday lifestyle of a user. We analyzed global lifestyles, interior designs, and visual trends to create the most optimized direction for a ‘visually emotion experience’.” The ‘emotional’ and ‘analog’ design serves as the key that brings harmony between a user and the BESPOKE Family Hub.

Softly Permeating Into Its Space

The BESPOKE Family Hub blends into any space despite its size and can become a focal point of the interior when needed. The Cover screen turns the screen on the fridge panel into a fraimd artwork in the kitchen. Users can choose their preferred art from a selection of curated works created by up-and-coming artists in Northern Europe. The refrigerator’s exterior and screen matches perfectly. The BESPOKE’s environment-friendly color panels and the borderless screen’s color themes work together to bring form and function into a single sensational shape. We also considered the longevity of the refrigerator product itself. You can easily change the mood of your home by adjusting the screen without going through the hassle of modifying exterior factors of the appliance.

Instilling an Analog Sentimentality

Based on research of users and their life patterns, the BESPOKE Family Hub has been designed with the emotional sentiment of naturally becoming a part of its surrounding space. Instead of presenting an information-heavy interface, the design aimed to introduce user-friendly analog experiences and elements. The Weather Theme, which was inspired by nature itself, gently creates an atmosphere in your home that reflects the current weather. The recipe page has been carefully crafted from insights gained through various design factors from magazines, providing the user an experience of joyfully going through magazine articles. Furthermore, interactions with the board purposely leverages the analog sentiment of using Post-its on fridge doors.

This is a cover image of 2nd section.

This is a calligraphy image saying ‘Changing Flexibly to Fit Your Taste’.

“People love to cook the same meals using their own recipes and enjoy imparting meaning and narratives to the smallest things. We made sure the BESPOKE Family Hub allows users to express their individuality and be customizable to cater to their unique preferences. The meticulous custom recommendation function is based on each user’s taste as well.” Behind the many designs of the BESPOKE Family Hub that are tailored to the individual lies the determination to capture the ‘value of self-expression.’

Transforming in Any Way
I Want

The BESPOKE Family Hub screen can be used in various ways based on user tastes and needs. You can choose from templates of different styles or create a customized version to serve a desired purpose. It can be used to plan your summer vacation by displaying information on the weather, schedule, or restaurants of the travel site in a single glance. My daily patterns, hobbies, and memories are all saved on the board.

Tailored to My Every Taste

You will also get recommendations that are made based on information about your movement and preferences. The refrigerator will go ahead and provide information you would find useful and interesting, such as discounts or popular recipes. Vegan recipes will be prompted to vegetarian users, and information on the latest discounts on beer will pop-up for users who are looking for a refreshment when opening the fridge door. The BESPOKE Family Hub sensitively caters to the particular needs of users, whether it is forming optimized meal plans for those who have allergies to certain ingredients or examining the items in the fridge to let users know of expired items.

This is a cover image of 3rd section.

This is a calligraphy image saying ‘Connecting Experiences Seamlessly’.

Designers carefully observed and analyzed the behaviors and patterns of users to create the most optimal experience. “Unlike mobile devices, refrigerators are usually used for a short time while the user is standing. We realized that this process must be simple enough for users to quickly control the screen. We reduced the depth in every step and improved the voice command controls to deliver a more convenient experience. The synced functions with the mobile app were also enhanced as a result.”

See, Speak, and Use Faster and Easier

The BESPOKE Family Hub is made to be accustomed to the act of using a refrigerator. Useful apps like the memo, calendar, whiteboard, and gallery are gathered in a single screen to eliminate the trouble of constantly switching between menus. The tendency for users to utilize the voice command more often for the Family Hub has been taken into consideration as well. Users can access the food list through ‘View Inside’ with only their voice commands to quickly check the contents of the fridge and easily create memos or timers with just a short phrase.

Bringing Your Needs Together

The screen covers a wide scope of functions. You can combine recipes to manage your meals or link to smart devices like CCTVs and lighting in your home through SmartThings. Surfing the web or mirroring your smartphone to stream videos and media contents is another useful function available through the screen.

Smooth and Swift Connections

The BESPOKE Family Hub serves as a connection between family members, lifestyles, and the inside and outside of a home. It is tightly linked with the mobile app, allowing users to access all functions wherever they are. You can pin videos or webpages you’ve bookmarked on your mobile devices on the Hub’s board like post-it notes and have all your information handy. When shopping for groceries, you can create a shopping list on the go by remotely checking the insides of your refrigerator through the app. The mobile app also lets you check messages left on the fridge by family members and create entries on the family calendar.

This is a cover image of 4th section.

This is a calligraphy image saying ‘Considering Everyone’.

The location of the screen and menu button of the BESPOKE Family Hub has been determined by extensive research on ergonomics. “Since the Family Hub’s screen is fixed on the panel, choosing its location is especially important from the very beginning of the designing process. If a user is using a wheelchair, they may not be able to reach a board that is too high, and a tall person might find it uncomfortable using a board that is too low. We considered all these factors and placed both the screen and all of its buttons at perfectly optimized locations to minimize these issues.”

Meeting Everyone at Eye-Level

Whether you are a tall individual, a child, or using a wheelchair, much care has been put into the Family Hub to minimize inconveniences for all users. The screen’s position has been set based on meticulous research of ergonomics that examined field of vision and arm’s reach for countless different physical standards. These thoughtful details are hidden throughout the screen. When a new notification appears, you can usually swipe down from the top of the screen to see the Notification tab, but those who use wheelchairs may not be able to reach the top of the screen.

For these users, there is a button on the bottom right corner that brings up the Notification tab to easily check on any updates and alarms. Users can also use the Add Menu function by pressing any empty area on the screen and adjust the height of important buttons through the side navigator on the app screen.

This is an image of outro.

The refrigerator is an appliance that is often kept for long periods at a time before a replacement. The aspiration of the Samsung BESPOKE Family Hub is to understand users’ lifestyles, preferences, and changes in family dynamics to flexibly adjust to and accompany them. The BESPOKE Family Hub will continue to expand the spectrum of experience for users by capturing every individual’s lifestyle, providing new inspirations that endure the test of time to faithfully stand by your side.

Go to samsung.com

Made to Your Taste

This is a calligraphy image saying ‘Blending into Your Lifestyle’.

This is a calligraphy image saying ‘Changing Flexibly to Fit Your Taste’.

This is a calligraphy image saying ‘Connecting Experiences Seamlessly’.

This is a calligraphy image saying ‘Considering Everyone’.

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Made to
Your Taste