is an AI-powered upscaler and magic editor built for Samsung’s flagship devices, providing users with a one-stop solution for all their media enhancement, correction and quality related needs
CLIENT : Samsung R&D, India + Samsung Electronics, South Korea (2022)
KEYWORD : AI Enhancements, App Branding, User Experience Design
Process and details of the project including research, design iterations and development are under NDA with Samsung R&D Institute India, Bangalore and Samsung Electronics, South Korea. Do reach out if you would like to know more
01.
Context
The Galaxy Enhance-X project was carried out as a part of the Innovation/ Commercialisation Team within the Visual Experience CX Department at Samsung R&D Institute India, Bangalore in collaboration with the Visual Intelligence Engineering department, Product Management team, the Gallery team and the Experience Planning Group at the Samsung Electronics HQ in Suwon, South Korea.
Role: Senior Designer - GUI
Core Team: UI Designer, VI Designer, UX Writer, Prodcut Managers, Engineers
02. Brief & Objective
• Identifying the user needs, pain points and preferences around media enhancements, correction and sharing to help deliver an intelligent intuitive solution and propose a relevant roadmap features and tools to meet the SNS content-specific requirements of Gen Z & Millennial users
• Understanding the potential of Deep Learning & Artificial Intelligence in Camera Vision & Gallery Editor, including image analysis, error detection and quality improvement to build a comprehensive remaster application
• Designing the user experience for Samsung’s downloadable application, specifically defining the app branding, visual language, graphical user interface guidelines and marketing material in line with the ongoing design trends in order to appeal to the target audience
03. Final Product Features (BELOW)
• Galaxy Enhance-X’s Magic feature is a one-tap, AI-enabled solution that intelligently refines any visual noise, lost details or blurs to generate a high quality media output instantly.
• The HDR tool analyses the highlights, contrast and colour properties to expand the dynamic range of the image producing a richer and more captivating result. In second-depth, it also offers users the flexibility to customise the level of intensity to meet their unique and individual preferences.
• To address specific areas and remove unwanted errors, tools like Fix Moiré and Remove Shadows help get rid of moiré patterns and intrusive silhouettes that shift the emphasis from the subject and the composition of the image.
• Galaxy Enhance-X offers a range of other editing functions for users to pick from including Upscale, Portrait, Face, Brighten, Old Photo, Fix Blur, Sharpen, Remove Reflection and Fix Lens Distortion allowing them to bring out the best in all their photos with least effort and maximum delight
04. Design & Development Process
The process and details of the project including UX research, design iterations and development are under NDA with
Samsung R&D Institute India, Bangalore and Samsung Electronics, South Korea. Do reach out if you would like to know more
05. Research Summary
Competitor Analysis
We conducted a thorough study to analyse direct and indirect competitor products including Remini, Lensa, Google Photos, Snapseed, etc. to gain insight into the following:
• Available Tools/ Features (Nature, Effecrtiveness, Names)
• Onboarding Experience & Demo (Length, Interactivity)
• UI, GUI & VI (slider interactions, intensity control interactions, icon style, typography, dark/light mode, microinteractions)
• VoC’s (User Reviews, Ratings, Comments, Use Cases)
User Research
• A clear difference between the needs and behaviours of pro users versus intermediate/ novice Gen Z users. Pro users prefer complete freedom & control to experiment with tools
• Intermediate and Novice users require assistance when editing their media content to make it SNS-ready, however at the same time they desire flexibility and control
• With the rise of SNS, users desire enhancement and correction tools for other formats including GIFs and videos
• Preferences for media enhancements are subjective, hence it is better to avoid extreme results and provide intensity controls
Trends Research
• UX Trends: Glassmorphism, Minimalism, Dark Mode, 3D Graphic Elements, Delightful Microinteractions, Abstraction
• Visual Represenation of AI: Studying popular culture references, movies, virtual assistant interfaces, digital products, etc. to decode the common characteristics when visually depicting AI - Gradients, Luminescence, Transparency, Cool Tones, Circuits/ Nodes/ Augmented Surfaces
• Visual Design Keywords: Magical, Fluid, Luminescent
06. Defining the User Experience (Onboarding and Key Flow)
06. Shaping the Visual Language and Identity (App Icon, GUI Elements)
App Icon
Several rounds of exploration, iteration and reviews were conducted to define and align on the app icon and identity for the application. This involved exploring visual metaphors/ keywords to serve as inspiration for the symbol:01 - Enhanced Frames, Before/After Scrubber
02 - Magic Wand, Enhance & Transform
03 - Image Transformation
04 - Gallery Icon, Sparkle element
05 - Image Transformation, Logotype
06 - Enhancement, Magic Edit
The final metaphor, style and colour for the app identity was selected based on:
• Testing with users to ensure clear communication and visual appeal
• Alignment with Samsung’s Brand Guidelines
• Testing at various sizes, in various contexts and lighting conditions to ensure accessibility, simplicity, communicability and legibility
Design Explorations for Galaxy Enhance-X App Logo