Dex Pad
Bridging Physical and Digital UX
Duration
Jun. 2017 - Mar. 2018
Role
Industrial designer
(Main designer)
Team
1 Head of design
1 Senior industrial designer
1 Product manager
2 Hardware engineer
Brief
Samsung DeX Pad transforms a Galaxy smartphone into a portable workstation, delivering a full desktop experience with a single connection. Once plugged in, DeX Mode automatically launches, enabling a multi-screen interface that boosts productivity and supports a range of work functions—empowering users to work efficiently, even away from the office.
I led the end-to-end redesign of the first-generation DeX Pad—owning everything from user and market research to product positioning, CMF design, and 3D design.
The goal was to improve the physical user experience (PUX) based on real customer feedback, while also reducing manufacturing costs.
Problems
The first step was to clarify the purpose and design direction of the Samsung DeX Pad.
I conducted user and market research, analyzed voice-of-customer (VOC) feedback, and redefined the product concept, user scenarios, and target market. This process led to a pivotal decision: to give the DeX Pad an entirely new form and usability model that aligned with the needs of mobile professionals.
Picture by Maurizio Pesce from Milan, Italia - Samsung's S8 DeX dock, CC BY 2.0, Wikipedia
Despite its ambition to enable ‘work anywhere, anytime,’ the product fell short in real-world usability.
Its design was overly complex, requiring additional devices like a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and multiple cords to function properly.
Design Objectives
We redefined what makes DeX Pad valuable by identifying benefits that resonate with real user needs:
💡 Portable Productivity
Turn your Galaxy phone into a desktop—anytime, anywhere—without the need for a laptop.
🔌 Minimal Setup
Streamlined design removes unnecessary accessories. Just one device, one cable.
🧠 Familiar, Seamless Experience
Automatically launches DeX Mode for a smooth transition between mobile and desktop use.
Design
Robot Status Dashboard:
Show robots’ status in one look
The goal was to enhance scalability so that one person could manage multiple robots efficiently.
To achieve this, a comprehensive view of multiple robots' statuses was essential. Given that robots can be located in various spaces, managing those within a close radius was crucial for staff productivity. Therefore, we implemented filtering and sorting options.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Set-up, Trouble shoot, Change the task in one space
Setting up robots for work and troubleshooting involves multiple steps, with varying tools and methods depending on the tasks and issues. It's important to present this information in a comprehensive and user-friendly manner, especially for staff without a technical background.
Streamlined Help and Bug Reporting:
Enhancing Efficiency Without Technical Expertise
Current staff have remarked that filing bugs can be tedious, as they need to locate logs in developer tools and use the information to fill out the bug report.
After discussions with the product manager about what information can be automatically fetched, we developed these designs.
Data Analytics:
Operation summary for scalable impact
Although this feature wasn't part of the MVP version, it became clear that having this data would be crucial for both our team and the staff. As our project continues to develop, this information is essential for optimizing robot utilization and understanding patterns in current issues.
Design System
‘Recognizably Google, but distinctively Everyday Robots‘
I aimed to incorporate Google's design philosophy throughout our design while also maintaining a unique identity.