Technology. Creativity. Passion
We designed a new product that centers “people”.
OVERVIEW
XPERIA X10 was the Sony's very first Android based smartphone released in 2009.
We had developed this product working closely with the android team in Mountain View.
PROBLEM
• Since iPhone was introduced to the market in 2007, Sony was losing their market share quickly and Sony needed a new product to compete with Apple
• Despite having the years of the knowledge and experience for making the flip phone, Sony couldn't find the better way to make their smartphone without working with Google Android Platform
ROLE AS AN ART DIRECTOR AND UI/UX DESIGNER
• Establishing the visual identity for the XPERIA brand
• Providing clear art direction for the remote design studios
• Contributing for UX design work by participating weekly UX workshop and giving feedback to move on the visual design
COMPETITORS
Apple, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG
• All of the competitors already had their own smartphone in the market
• Almost all of the android based products from the competitors are the vanilla android without much customization
CHALLENGES
In order to give unique value to the vanilla android, we developed 2 new features that targeted both "Social Media" and "Multimedia Contents".
TIMESCAPE
The social media application that utilizes 3D space to consolidate and organize social media contents into one place as most intuitive and elegant way
MEDIASCAPE
The multimedia application for Video, Music and Photo that incorporates on-line store.
TIMESCAPE
Our goal was to utilize 3D space to consolidate and organize social media contents into one place as most intuitive and elegant way.
All of the social media contents are in one place without going in and out multiple applications
WIREFRAMES
VISUAL DESIGN
MOTION STUDY
ART DIRECTION
As an initial art director, I established a strong visual language which comprehensively applicable to any system UI component and any application.
This is one of the moodboard for the visual style
To establish the new art direction for this new product, we studied the architectures designed by Zaha Hadid.
The concept behind her architectures such as guiding audience without any physical obstacles
to move smoothly inside of museum such as dividing walls and ordinary ceilings which define floors fascinated us.
We tried to incorporate that design concept to our user centered design, by removing the boundary of the social media applications and visual divides such as tabs and paginations.
The vivid selected colors in the moodboard shows how each contents highlighted in the 3D space.
ICONOGRAPHY
At that time (2008) there were many 3D based realistic icons on the competitor's products so that I started looking into new visual direction.
I created a clear vision to make it very simple and clean, but still has subtle light shaders and an accent color for each function to emphasize the each meaning
FINAL PRODUCT
At the final product, a new art director took over my position and adjusted the visual, in order to achieve an alignment with other Sony products such as PlayStation
CONCLUSION
• The product became Docomo's Quickest Ever Selling Smartphone
• XPERIA became one of the most prominent brand among all Sony products