Bringing back an iconic foldable
Date: 2017-2020
Role: Studio/Design Director, Motorola Mobility. During the initial stages, my team consisted of 3 designers (1 industrial designer, 1 UX, 1 visual); later the foldable project included the global design team when I was Head of Design, Motorola Mobility (UX, visual & copywriting ~ 27 designers)
Work Partners: ID, Research, ENG (HW/SW), PM (HW/SW), Marketing
Context
Motorola has maintained a strong foothold in the mid-tier smartphone market, however it struggled to develop a high-tier device after it ended the exclusive "Droid" partnership with Verizon. In order to re-enter the high-tier market, Motorola determined that it would build upon Lenovo’s foldable prototypes and re-introduce its iconic phone: the razr.
Challenges, strategies & solutions
Novice team on a high-stakes project
While I was Director of the Brazil Design Studio, I formed a team of 3 designers during the initial concept phase of the physical and digital design of the 2019 razr. All 3 designers were relatively new to Motorola; I coached the industrial designer through her negotiations with the product and engineering teams located in Chicago and introduced the UX and visual designers (who largely had web experience) to the foldable principles Motorola established during the development of the original RAZR v3 and subsequent flip-phones pre-Android. While all 3 designers began the project without the historical knowledge of the original razr, each was instrumental in the development of the final product which surprised and delighted initial reviewers.
Importance of iterative research
My team and I worked hand-in-hand with design research throughout the process including developing paper mockups of potential use cases that could be supported on the Quick View display, evaluating low-fidelity prototypes that investigated where the volume buttons and fingerprint sensors should be, and conducting use over time studies with users to understand how to refine the implemented designs.
Software and hardware were out of sync
I initiated feasibility discussions with software engineering while the physical design was at the concept stage and quickly coordinated cross-functional hardware/software discussions to understand the scope of changes required to the Android framework. The vision was to create a custom solution while working with Google on necessary changes to the Android framework for future foldables. Software on the initial launch used only the Peek Display and Camera apps on the external display, while the Android 10 upgrade featured swipe-able access to the camera, cards of notifications, and a custom “communication panel”, with additional features in beta.
Developing frameworks
After presenting our design principles of the external display design to the Android UX team, I coordinated the implementation phase defining and driving customizations to Moto Display, Camera, Calling, and other experiences critical to the external “Quick View” display with my broader team. In late 2019, I met with the Android Comms team to review Phone app customizations in order for Google to integrate similar functions to the core GMS Calling app in support of future foldables.
Outcome
My team and I worked hand-in-hand with design research throughout the process including developing paper mockups of potential use cases that could be supported on the Quick View display, evaluating low-fidelity prototypes that investigated where the volume buttons and fingerprint sensors should be, and conducting use over time studies with users to understand how to refine the implemented designs.
In April 2020, the new razr received the coveted Red Dot: “Best of the Best” award, the highest distinction in the Red Dot Award Product Design category reserved for innovations with the most ground-breaking design. That year, designers and companies from 60 countries entered more than 6,500 products in the competition.
What People Are Saying
“The biggest advantage Motorola’s razr has over the Samsung competition, besides nostalgia, is this large external display. With the update I’m about to show you, it just got a whole lot more useful… ”
— MrMobile [Michael Fisher] May 2020
“... After spending some time with both form factors, there are a few things about the razr’s classic clamshell design that stand out to me as being much more practical… A lot of it comes down to Motorola's execution. The razr is, as you'd expect given the brand's legacy, shockingly thin, even when folded shut… Another thing I love about the razr when it's shut? The cover display makes much better use of its small size than the Galaxy Fold.”
— Android Central, Dec 2019
“It truly is a 2019 take on the iconic RAZR flip phone and is undoubtedly one of the most novel phones in recent memory.”