Samsung Pay & Charm
An innovation project’s executive demo leads to a strategic acquisition…and the development of Samsung Pay (aka Samsung’s competitive advantage to Apple Pay).
Soon after the 1st Samsung Gear watch went on sale, and before Apple Watch and ApplePay were announced, I led design on a project tasked to provide a point of view and proof of concepts for the vision of wearables and the Gear line. Wearables are expensive, yet provide only a few features. They were less customizable to user needs or contexts. Project Charm sought to address the changing hourly needs of users with the expense of having to purchase different devices to meet those needs.
Samsung Pay Commercial
Concept Storytelling
We envisioned a suite of attachable trackers, Bluetooth buttons, and modular wearable systems that let the user choose features that mattered most to them. We wanted this system to be easy, both to use, store, and charge. We wanted to make sure that we only designed modular charms that people would use daily, and not only for a few hours like with a Fitbit-type tracker. We also heard other pain points from user testing such as the hassle of charging those multiple devices.
The Making of Samsung’s Payment Strategy
A major win for this project was an acquisition of LoopPay by Samsung 6 months after seeing my design and prototype that employed a hacked LoopPay to demonstrate a shopping scenario. This project and acquisition led to Samsung's wireless payment strategy in phones and wearables today.
Early prototype testing color, type and technology
Working Prototype
After having acquired a looppay module to test out, I decided to take it apart and figure out a way to rewire it into another prototype I had built using the screen from a digital photo keychain and a custom printed 3D enclosure. I rewired the simple buttons, power source and small 1-inch color screen. I then embedded the looppay module inside so that we could head out to food trucks at lunch and test it out. And it worked!
Industrial design & Spec Doc
Full Stack Design
Working with another engineer, we both built prototypes while I led all of the UX/UI design, industrial design, branding, storytelling, and documentation materials. With the team and budget as small as it was, I was able to secure additional funding to hire and manage an ID contractor to collaborate with me on the physical UX, CMF and design language.
Photoshop render for executive storytelling
Storytelling
On every project over the years, I’m tasked with telling the story of user needs and segments, proof-of-concept product designs, strategy and roadmap feasibility.
After presenting this to executives in Korea, Samsung late acquired loopay for $250M for a wider offering than Apple Pay at the time.
Samsung Pay demo at CES
