The study, conducted by Samsung UK and OnePoll, surveyed 1,000 UK adults with invisible and visible disabilities and reveals that over two-thirds (68%) have felt excluded from products or services due to accessibility issues.

Over half of the respondents (55%) don’t believe mainstream brands are invested enough in making products that cater to individual needs, while ​54% don’t think companies have an understanding of which accessibility features are important for consumers with disabilities.

Brands are missing a trick here, as the spending power of disabled people and their households – known as the purple pound – is estimated to be worth a staggering £274 billion a year^[1].

80% claim major national and international brands could be missing out on millions by not thinking about inclusive design for consumers with disabilities. It also emerged that 72% of consumers surveyed have abandoned a purchase due to a product’s lack of accessibility. On the other hand, over half (56%) are willing to pay more if they find a fully accessible product.

Greater accessibility also opens the door to loyal customers, as three quarters (76%) of consumers admit they would stay loyal to companies who offer a good range of accessible options.

Katharina Mayer, Head of LifeStyle Lab Europe, at Samsung said: “This research has highlighted the huge opportunity for brands to better understand the accessibility needs of consumers to provide greater access for people with disabilities in the UK. It is an absolute necessity for companies to test their ideas with diverse people with different needs. When designers consider varied needs from the beginning, they don’t just benefit people with disabilities – they create solutions that serve everyone and that is the approach we aim to take to inclusive design at Samsung. This is a foundation of good design that led to our enhanced design principles, which we developed in Project INKlusion”.

Project INKlusion was created by Samsung as a collaborative project aimed at enhancing inclusive design. Samsung spoke with design leaders and over five hundred members of Samsung’s Global Employee Resource Groups to understand the challenges within current products and solutions and find creative ways to address them together with leading design experts. The four DEI design principles and practice include:

1. Stay Curious – create joy through play, learning and growing
2. Challenge Assumptions – deconstruct the ‘normal’, solve problems not people
3. Celebrate Diversity – amplify diverse stories; represent real life
4. Be the Change – create with, not for; expand beyond the individual

But there’s still work to be done. When it comes to online shopping, 80% struggle with websites that are not optimised for accessibility. Issues include, poorly designed checkout process (30%), lack of text descriptions for images (22%) and inaccessible website navigation (20%).

Consumers also identified the most challenging everyday experiences due to poor accessibility as retail store layouts (24%), followed by food packaging (22%) and clothing (21%).

Promisingly, technology is paving the way for accessible design. The top tech innovations for people with a disability were named as virtual assistants, smart home devices and wearable devices for health monitoring.

Samsung is committed to advancing accessibility in technology, from ensuring all mobile and TV screens have accessible voice and caption tools. Our wearables have vision accessibility features for those who find screen size challenging, and our Galaxy Ring passively tracks body metrics.  Alongside this, hearing enhancements, voice feedback and Braille labels exist across Samsung’s range of smart appliances.

Ben Evans, Director of London Design Festival said: “Accessibility in design is not just a feature; it’s an essential foundation for a truly inclusive world. At London Design Festival, we believe that great design serves everyone, regardless of ability, background, or circumstance. Design should be a bridge that connects people, not a barrier. It’s clear from Samsung’s research, that there is still work to be done, and we must continue to showcase a wide breadth of spaces, products, and systems that promote inclusive design and encourage innovation and creativity”.

Amy Francis-Smith RIBA, Architect & Accessible Design Specialist said “The tech sector has long been a pioneer in empowering disabled individuals and creating transformative innovations that simplify life for us all – like voice recognition software, electric toothbrushes and keyboards. Yet, with over half of consumers questioning mainstream brands’ commitment to accessibility, advocates like Samsung championing this cause are more vital than ever. By prioritising inclusivity through empathetic design and considerate practices, we can set a new standard that fosters a more inclusive tech industry—and a more accessible society—for everyone.”

To learn more about Samsung’s accessibility features, please visit: www.samsung.com/uk/sustainability/accessibility

[1] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmwomeq/605/report.html#:~:text=6.,choice%20available%20to%20disabled%20consumers

McLaren Excell were taken on board to develop a scheme which sought to re-define the working environment and design a space more attuned with the way Samsung Design Europe work and think. The project was developed with a clear brief to place forward thinking and unexpectedly personal design at the forefront of their approach – befitting a team committed to researching and developing how we will engage with products and technologyin the future. Luke McLaren says “The new Samsung Design Europe workplace is a great example of how the ‘office’ is rapidly changing to provide a more human and personally engaging environment which, in many ways, consigns the formality of the workspace to the past and instead embraces a more relaxed, informal and experiential place of work. We want the Samsung office to have all the qualities that are enjoyable about your home – a softness, a sense of calm, a high degree of tactility, spaces to congregate, spaces to which one can withdraw…but all the while nurturing that sense of welcome, of belonging, of enjoyment. We always knew that this would be a place for a collective of ‘future thinkers’, and the sense of place and atmosphere that we have strived to deliver are, we hope, conducive to the creativethinking and problem solving that is SDE’s lifeblood.”

Credit: Lorenzo Zandri

Enveloped by a series of timber screens which mediate between the different uses of space, the open plan workspace lightly references the company’s South Korean heritage. The spruce glulam screens programmatically bisect the space between group working environments and private meeting areas to promoteboth open discussion and more intimate team workshops, whilst movable linen curtain partitions allow the communal spaces to remain flexible and provide some tactility and warmth. The lighting is deliberately more domestic in nature: there is no general grid lighting, instead the fittings light specific areas in an intimate way. Combined with planting and comfortable soft furnishings, it is a calm and informal workplace that will nurture the innovative minds that inhabit the space each and every day.

Credit: Lorenzo Zandri

“70 St Mary Axe is a design beacon for us at Samsung Design Europe – it represents a new era of innovation and inspiration,” said Felix Heck, Head of Samsung Design Europe. “With its sustainable design and city location, this destination will give our London teams a truly interactive space, by housing the perfect blend of modern architecture and hybrid working. Inspired by sensitive design qualities and natural materials, it is the perfect new home.”

Credit: Lorenzo Zandri

David Bishop, Design Director at Oktra, added: “The finished workspace is a stunning realisation of the client’s vision for a collaborative, unifying working environment and, for a studio like Samsung Design Europe, it’s going to reinforce their brand image on a daily basis for staff and visitors at St. Mary Axe.”

Samsung Design Europe is a melting pot of cross-disciplinary design studio aficionados whose work reflects Europe’s rich cultural heritage. As well as finding ways to preserve design heritage, they also forecast the future and are involved in every stage of the product development cycle. They are organised across four teams including: Product Design, Product Innovation, User Experience and Trend Experience.

The new space at 70 St Mary Axe is also designed to be as sustainable as possible, futureproofing the studio for the next 10 years. The integration of technology throughout the building also allows SDE to serve the technological requirements of its studio. In line with local regulations, the space will adhere to safety measures to ensure the ongoing wellbeing of colleagues and partners.

Credit: Lorenzo Zandri

Find out more about design at Samsung: http://design.samsung.com.

Photo credit – Lorenzo Zandri

About McLaren.Excell

McLaren.Excell are an award winning design-led architecture and interiors practice based in Central London, delivering projects which are beautifully conceived and finely crafted. The studio is a place of continual investigation, challenging convention and bringing a clarity and simplicity to their work through a process that is driven by a genuine passion for good and sustainable design.

About Oktra

Oktra is the UK’s award-winning office design and build company. For 25 years, they have created workspaces for a variety of companies across a broad range of sectors. As a dynamic team of designers, builders and strategists, Oktra is driven by one goal: to create spaces that inspire people to do amazing things.

Oktra works to understand each client’s business, people and ways of working, generating design solutions tailored to their needs. They manage the entire fit out project from design to construction, through to furnishing the workspace. A client’s relationship with Oktra does not end on move-in day, but continues to evolve just like their space.

London, UK – December 10, 2020 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced the launch and pre-sale of the groundbreaking 110” Samsung MicroLED beginning today in Korea. Unlike any other displays currently available on the market, Samsung MicroLED delivers astonishing color vibrancy and brightness with self-emissive LED display technology.

In 2018, Samsung’s first MicroLED display was introduced in the form of “The Wall”— a system of configurable modules that could be installed professionally. With the new 110” MicroLED, Samsung is delivering the MicroLED experience in a traditional TV form for the first time. Unlike its modular counterpart, installation and calibration is streamlined since the new 110” MicroLED model is prefabricated — offering stunning video, audio, and smart capabilities out of the box.

In the past year, consumer interest and demand for large screen TVs has continued to grow rapidly. With the launch of the 110’’ MicroLED, Samsung offers a breathtaking visual experience on an ultra-large next-generation TV display.

“As consumers rely on their televisions for more functions than ever, we are incredibly excited to bring the 110” MicroLED to the commercial market,” said Jonghee Han, President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung MicroLED is going to redefine what premium at-home experiences mean for consumers around the world.”

Innovative Engineering Delivers Next-Level Picture Quality

Ultra-large screen enthusiasts want excellent picture quality with vibrant colors and stunning resolution. With Samsung’s latest engineering innovations, the 110’’ MicroLED uses micrometer-sized LED lights to eliminate the backlight and color filters utilized in conventional displays. Instead, it is self-illuminating—producing light and color from its own pixel structures. It expresses 100% of the DCI and Adobe RGB color gamut, and accurately delivers wide color gamut images taken with high-end DSLR cameras. This results in stunning, lifelike colors and accurate brightness from the display’s 4K resolution and 8 million pixels.

The 110’’ MicroLED also has a processor powerful enough to live up to its display capabilities. Its all-new Micro AI Processor delivers stunning 4K HDR content — resulting in bright, vivid, realistic picture quality that is optimized to each scene.

What’s more, the 110” MicroLED makes that stunning picture quality last for the long term. MicroLEDs are made of inorganic materials which are long-lasting and durable — allowing a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours, or over a decade.

Previously, mass-producing a MicroLED screen as small as 110’’ for simple home installation wasn’t possible. But Samsung innovated to make it a reality by developing cutting-edge surface mount technology — along with a new production process derived from its semiconductor business — making MicroLED technology easier to manufacture, deliver, and install. These same innovations will allow Samsung to produce even smaller MicroLED models in the future, so even more consumers can enjoy the breathtaking MicroLED experience.

Immersive Design and Premium Audio

When you turn on the 110’’ MicroLED, you are treated to a spectacularly immersive experience thanks to its 99.99% screen-to-body ratio. The black matrix and bezel have been completely removed from the display — leaving only the screen, delivering consumers the most immersive content experience.

Samsung has innovated and optimized its Smart TV features to take advantage of the 110” MicroLED’s massive screen. For example, consumers can use the Multi View feature to comfortably watch up to four sources of content simultaneously on up to 55’’ sized split screens. When using this feature, the viewers can connect multiple external devices and enjoy watching news, movies, and other apps simultaneously on one screen — so they can keep up with multiple sports at once, or stream a walkthrough while playing a video game, all in stunning quality and size.

Plus, the 110’’ MicroLED’s dynamic audio experience is just as immersive as its visuals. It includes an embedded Majestic Sound System that delivers breathtaking 5.1 channel sound with no external speaker—transforming any room into a luxurious home theater. And its Object Tracking Sound Pro feature identifies objects moving on screen, and projects the sound to follow the action — so when you are watching an action movie and an airplane flies overhead, it will feel like its engines are roaring above you.

The 110’’ MicroLED will be available globally in the first quarter of next year following today’s unveiling in Korea. For more information about the 110’’ MicroLED, please visit: www.samsung.com

Samsung has partnered with Dezeen, a leading design and architectural magazine, to call for innovative stand concepts for Samsung’s QLED TV and announce the finalists for Samsung’s first ever global TV accessory design competition. The competition drew more than 1,200 participants from 83 different countries and the competition rate was as high as 80:1.

By making it to this stage of the competition, the 15 shortlisted designs will move on to the next round of judging, from which five designs will make the final cut. The final five will be announced on August 21, with each gaining a cash prize. A total prize of 30,000 euros will be awarded.

In order to participate in the competition, designers submitted their best QLED TV stand designs along with a corresponding strategic business plan.

Extraordinary designs

The competition’s shortlist features a variety of groundbreaking designs, including a TV stand that doubles as a plant pot and another that incorporates a decorative display shelf. Others include a design featuring a counter-weighted pulley system, one inspired by the Danish “hygge” craze and one that doubles as a surfboard stand.

Competition applicants were asked to develop their stand designs with a particular focus on users’ lifestyles in mind. While some of the designs are over-the-top, many that made the shortlist range from simple wooden designs and ceiling-mounted systems intended for minimal homes, to colored glass stands designed to match more luxurious interior décor.

Major showcase

The five finalists will also be invited to IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung) 2017, Europe’s leading consumer electronics and home appliance trade show, in Berlin, Germany from September 1 to 6. The top five designs will also be exhibited as part of a special installation at the Samsung booth at the show.

Samsung’s QLED TV is truly a lifestyle TV that gives consumers the freedom to place their television in various living spaces. The QLED TV is currently available in both flat and curved screen models and can be used with a variety of interchangeable stands, including the Gravity and Studio Stands. The QLED TV lineup is the first to standardize its TV stand structures, meaning each stand is compatible for the 55-inch and 65-inch QLED TV models as well as The Frame. These unique stands allow for consumers to customize their living spaces to fit their personal home aesthetic.

“Samsung believes in developing beautifully designed products that provide overall value to our consumers and their unique lifestyles. That’s why we’ve chosen to work with Dezeen to find the next great TV accessory,” said HyunSuk Kim, President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Our products are not only about innovative technology alone, but also about enhancing users’ existing home décor.”

To learn more about Dezeen X Samsung and the QLED TV line, please visit the Dezeen and Samsung Websites.