Samsung believes design innovation can improve lives and society. The ultimate goal of Samsung design is to make lives more enjoyable and meaningful by creating new value and culture. Samsung strives to create sustainable value and bring engaging experiences to all. Everyone should be able to share in the mobile experience, regardless of age, ability, or status in life. Samsung envisions a future inspired by humans. The vision for GALAXY Core Advance was to design a smartphone approachable and accessible to anyone, especially people with disabilities and seniors.

The mission was to create a smartphone that satisfies the widely differing needs of underserved user groups, specifically people with sensory and dexterity impairments. Targeting a wide range of people, designers took an empathic approach to create a design that accommodates various needs. Designers focused on delivering a connected mobile experience that especially engaged people with communication impairments and seniors with intuitive interaction. For example, among the various buttons on the side of the phone, the power key is slightly raised above the others for quicker identification and access.

By shifting from a specialized to universal design approach, designers were inspired to bring a sense of social cohesion to all users. From the initial stages of concept development, designers ensured the needs, wishes and expectations of various user groups, including people with disabilities and seniors, were met. Designers conducted user tests internally with visually impaired employees, and also prototyped among themselves by wearing eye patches. Embodying a human-centric design methodology, more than 650 user tests and surveys were conducted, which shaped all aspects of design, even down to fine details, like the precise location of the ultrasonic sensor.

GALAXY Core Advance empowers users with various sensory and dexterity impairments, as well as seniors, who are often underserved in this digital era. Additionally, this product offers new possibilities for Samsung to expand our service and device offerings with a broader user base, advanced new features, and enhanced accessory ecosystem. The human-centered approach is reflected throughout the design, from the intuitive layout of the physical keys, to the carefully designed Easy Mode, which simplifies interaction and exploration without sacrificing capability. Dedicated accessories, like the optical scan stand and ultrasonic cover, empower users, helping Samsung deliver reliable, meaningful innovations for all.

Since GALAXY Core Advance targets people with a wide range of abilities, difficulties, and preferences in digital experience, designers concentrated on identifying values and elements that were core to all. The biggest challenge was enhancing accessibility features without overcomplicating the user input or interactions required. Based on research results, the physical user interface was designed for sightless operation, manipulated just by touch. Physical keys for frequently used features, such as the camera or voice recorder, were added for quicker access. Dedicated accessories, like ultrasonic covers for visually impaired users, further extend capabilities to make it customizable and approachable for anyone.