Home/Research/Samsung Smart fridge Audit
About the project
When the College of Digital Media (DGM) acquired an IoT-integrated refrigerator, the head of the DGM Web Design and Development program commissioned a research project to understand why a digital user interface and internal monitoring system was a desirable quality in a refrigerator. Myself and another teammate undertook this challenge and completed a comprehensive 4-part audit on the "smart" part of the Samsung Family Hub Smart Refrigerator.
The audit
The 4 phases of the audit were:
- Phase 1: Characteristic and Functionality
- Phase 2: Product Controls/Touch Gesture
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Phase 3:
- Part 1: Satisfaction Analysis
- Part 2: Proto-Personas
- Part 3: Empathy Maps
- Phase 4: Customer Journey Map
Performing the audit
Over about half-a-dozen sessions in about 3 months, we explored the characteristics and functionality as well as the product and gesture controls. We used data from that exploration and a satisfaction analysis to create informed proto-personas and empathy maps. Our proto-personas were created as a learning exercise for people to explore what they knew about the fridge and its customers. We created a customer journey map, which was a culmination of the information we gained in the previous phases. We gathered our results in a final report, organizing all of the data from each phase and summarizing results (link to the final report at the bottom of this page).
Outcomes
We were both very curious about the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator and were even thinking about buying one. This product has potential, especially in the promise of making customers' everyday lives better. For example, the Smart fridge promises to let you know at the grocery store what you need to buy and even has a grocery list function on the Smart screen as well as recipes.
After going through the 4 phases of the audit, we both agreed that Samsung has a ways to go to earn our purchases. In the gesture audit, we found that the phone app is not as robust or usable in the kitchen as the touch screen on the fridge itself. The cameras in the refrigerator, while innovative in connecting to the app, do not show all compartments or areas inside - and there aren’t cameras in the freezer at all. In Samsung’s “fridge contents” system, it seems impossible to “move” an item from the fridge to the freezer without having to delete the item from one and add it to the other by hand. The Bixby voice assistant ignored a member of our team more often than not.
As most of the customers said in the customer reviews, they still want a great refrigerator first and the extra features second. The Samsung is a great refrigerator even though it may not be an overall great experience yet. If Samsung incorporates things such as thorough camera coverage, a more versatile inventory system, and a better voice assistant, their Family Hub Smart refrigerator truly would have the capability to be the Hub of not only our families but many others as well.
Link to the PDF Audit