Samsung Gear is the world’s first-round display smartwatch with a rotating bezel. With the turn of the bezel, users can intuitively interact with the content on the small display without covering it.
Combining the new rotating bezel interaction with touch and back button interactions, the challenge was to create seamless, intuitive interactions encompassing all three main elements.
I led the UI design system, documenting key screen layouts, typography, and color into design guidelines. The team developed the prototype and UX before passing the design to HQ, continuing to guide core principles through development.
The average adult fingertip is 16-20mm wide, while watch screens are typically 40-44mm, often leading to screen coverage during interaction. This makes precise touch, navigation, and handling long content challenging. To address this, we developed and defined an effective use of the rotary dial for better control.
After mapping the user flow, I focused on designing the structural components with two main goals: maximizing content legibility on the small screen and leveraging the unique circular shape. The key design principles were to prioritize essential information at the center of the screen and to incorporate distinctive shapes tailored to specific scenarios.
