Galaxy wearables for a new generation
Two years at Samsung Design America leading UX for the wearables that became the Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Buds. Half the weight of the prior generation, retuned for a younger audience.
Samsung’s Gear wearables had a perception problem: heavy, complex, aimed at a shrinking audience. Samsung Design America and SDIC needed to simplify the experience and reconnect the line with younger users and women’s health.
I split my time between leading the team and hands-on design: UX storyboards, presentation decks and prototypes for user interviews and internal reviews. We integrated the One UI design system and ran wearable-specific prototyping. The research surfaced something neither team expected: people wanted a dedicated CX experience store to try the devices in person.
The work shipped as the Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Buds at nearly half the weight of the prior generation. Samsung quadrupled smartwatch shipments to 2.4M units in Q4 2018. The program led to a new Samsung Experience Store in Palo Alto. By 2019, Samsung’s wearable shipments had climbed from roughly 7.5 million in 2017 to 30.9 million (IDC), a 153% jump year over year that made Samsung the fastest-growing major wearable brand and lifted its global ranking from 5th to 3rd.
- 7.5M → 30.9M
- Samsung wearable shipments across the contract window · 2017 to 2019 · IDC
- +153% YoY
- Samsung wearable shipment growth 2018 to 2019 · fastest-growing major wearable brand
- #5 → #3
- Samsung's global wearable market ranking · climbed two spots across the contract window