The Samsung Odyssey Ark stole the attention of gamers because it became the world's first 55-inch 1000R curved gaming monitor. How was this screen monitor created?
Hyun Mook Choi, Jisoo Kim and Kyuseong Lee are the people behind this innovation. The three of them shared their creative process for creating the Samsung Odyssey Ark.
Hyun Mook Choi is a figure who managed to turn his Odyssey Ark concept into a finished product. Jisoo Kim worked on product design to provide the best gaming experience for gamers, while Kyuseong Lee designed various features to enhance the gaming experience.
The beginning of the Odyssey
Hyun Mook Choi recalls how he started designing the Odyssey Ark concept. The initial idea for the product came after thinking that everyone has a dream of making their own arcade with their favorite gaming device.
At the same time, Jisoo Kim is designing a design inspired by her six-year-old son who creates his own room. From there, Kim thinks a flexible screen can satisfy gamers' unique desire to have their own space.
Destiny then brought Choi and Kim's ideas together. The two then refined the concept.
"In the early stages of design, we found through interviews that most gamers want to have a large screen that can cover them tightly," said Choi. "Gamers wanted a custom screen that would stand out in their bedroom and from there we set the goal of creating a product gamers deserve to show off."
at Design team, Hyun Mook Choi at Future Planning Group, Samsung Visual Display Business Photo: Samsung Indonesia
That's then why the two thought a 55-inch swivel 1000R curved gaming screen could appeal to gamers with an entirely different form factor.
"While designing the product plan, we paid attention to the fact that the gaming market is no longer just about playing, but has expanded across platforms by absorbing every element of entertainment, including visual aspects and increased interaction," said Kim. "From the start, Odyssey Ark was positioned as a 'game changer' to pioneer new markets."
Kyuseong Lee, a game enthusiast and part of the Future Planning Group, joined the project and pitched the idea. "I first thought about what made me feel uncomfortable during gaming and tried to reflect gamers' playing patterns and their type of lifestyle," he says.
Testing
Creating new products means constant testing, experimentation and study. Moreover, amplifying the usability of a large screen on a desk is a challenging task. They adopt a 1000R curvature to optimize the close-up viewing angle of this 55-inch screen.
Not only that, Kim explores more than 500 videos about decorating gaming rooms and documentaries related to games to learn how gamers decorate and organize their spaces.
"To develop an unprecedented 55-inch 1000R curved gaming screen, I watched videos showing the daily life of gamers and analyzed their lifestyle," he said.
Then, they created a product mockup using a form board and viewing the screen with a projector to find the perfect screen size and curvature and to realize the vertical Cockpit Mode ambition.
Lee conducted a two-week review involving seasoned gamers in the US and studied every detail of gamers' needs regarding features and interface.
"During a four-day business trip, I had to deal with various issues and responses throughout the day and night. But it was such a meaningful time that I even forgot how tired I was!" said Lee.
Each new feature requires significant time and effort as many people from different departments work together to verify UX, GUI, compatibility with conventional features and quality control.
"I think this is the first project where so many people from different departments came together for one product," said Choi. "It's great that everyone is actively participating in this project."
Odyssey Ark is Finally Here
Samsung Odyssey Ark was finally here and immediately shocked the world. Gamers have warmly welcomed the Odyssey Ark because this product seems to have read their minds.
The success of the Odyssey Ark apparently did not make Kim, Lee and Choi complacent. They emphasized that they would continue to perfect Samsung's pride gaming monitor.
"This is just the beginning." Lee said, "The Ark is still in its early stages. We will continue to update the product to reflect gamers' preferences."
Kim added, "I want to overcome physical limitations and make better screens." Choi shared his ambition saying, "We will do everything possible to enable users to seamlessly immerse themselves in any game with Ark."