Our client operates an expansive ecosystem that connects mobile devices, wearables, PCs, and smart home platforms under one unified experience.
Company
Top-tier global electronics company
Timeline
2023
—
2024
Role
Researcher & FGD Moderator
Project overview
Over the past three years, our client has been evaluating user experience across its global apps — Health, Work, and Home. While usability and performance improved, many users still described the design as “functional but not beautiful.” This project began with a simple question: why do users feel less emotional satisfaction from our design? We aimed to uncover the underlying causes behind this perception and to create design principles that connect functionality with emotion. Through a combination of data analysis, expert interviews, and Gen Z focus groups, we identified the key visual and emotional elements that make an experience feel truly satisfying.
Challenges
The biggest challenge was to make sense of years of UX data from an emotional point of view. We had thousands of quantitative results, but none explained why users found our design less appealing. We had to re-analyze massive datasets and translate numbers into emotional insights, a difficult but rewarding process.
Another challenge was balancing two types of perspectives: experts and real users.
We combined interviews with design specialists and FGDs with Gen Z users to connect analytical findings with emotional experiences. Finally, each app such as Health, Work, and Home had its own visual identity and tone. Turning them into a unified design philosophy that could work across our client's current entire ecosystem was both complex and meaningful.
Reflection
This project reinforced the importance of connecting data-driven reasoning with human-centered empathy. I learned that true aesthetic improvement goes beyond visual polish—it requires understanding how design shapes emotion and meaning across everyday digital interactions.
Our client operates an expansive ecosystem that connects mobile devices, wearables, PCs, and smart home platforms under one unified experience.
Company
Top-tier global electronics company
Timeline
2023
—
2024
Role
Researcher & FGD Moderator
Project overview
Over the past three years, our client has been evaluating user experience across its global apps — Health, Work, and Home. While usability and performance improved, many users still described the design as “functional but not beautiful.” This project began with a simple question: why do users feel less emotional satisfaction from our design? We aimed to uncover the underlying causes behind this perception and to create design principles that connect functionality with emotion. Through a combination of data analysis, expert interviews, and Gen Z focus groups, we identified the key visual and emotional elements that make an experience feel truly satisfying.
Challenges
The biggest challenge was to make sense of years of UX data from an emotional point of view. We had thousands of quantitative results, but none explained why users found our design less appealing. We had to re-analyze massive datasets and translate numbers into emotional insights, a difficult but rewarding process.
Another challenge was balancing two types of perspectives: experts and real users.
We combined interviews with design specialists and FGDs with Gen Z users to connect analytical findings with emotional experiences. Finally, each app such as Health, Work, and Home had its own visual identity and tone. Turning them into a unified design philosophy that could work across our client's current entire ecosystem was both complex and meaningful.
Reflection
This project reinforced the importance of connecting data-driven reasoning with human-centered empathy. I learned that true aesthetic improvement goes beyond visual polish—it requires understanding how design shapes emotion and meaning across everyday digital interactions.