March 27, 2025Thoughtfully Crafting the Essentials
2025 Bespoke AI Dishwasher Designer Interview
At Samsung, we’ve continuously evolved the function and form
of our products to meet the diverse needs of the changing
times. Find out about the designers’ approach and the story
behind the 2025 Bespoke AI Dishwasher that balances technology
and aesthetics.
Content images simulated for illustrative purposes only and
may differ from the actual product. Product specification may
vary by country, region, and model.
Youngmin Park
Product Designer, Design Team of
Digital Appliances Business
Sanghyun Lee
Product Designer, Design Team of
Digital Appliances Business
Kyungseob Yang
Product Designer, Design Team of
Digital Appliances Business
Ahjung Joo
CMF Designer, Design Team of
Digital Appliances Business
This image has been created by generative AI (Magnific AI,
Midjourney).
Are there any special considerations when designing a
dishwasher?
The kitchen is a standardized, systemized space. Therefore, it
is crucial that it is designed to perform its original purpose
properly while harmonizing with other appliances. In
particular, dishwashers must be designed taking into account
the unique nature of the product, which uses water to wash the
dishes. Therefore, it is important to design the interior so
that it dries well without water accumulating, by using
materials that are not corroded by water. Even in the smallest
parts, consideration is put into creating a shape that allows
water to flow and dry easily. In addition, the external door
is designed to prevent corrosion by removing the exposure of
the cut surface of the parts.
What’s the main concept of this design?
It’s all about blending into the surroundings with a sleek
design that stays faithful to the dishwasher’s function. We
imagined how the product would look in the kitchen and, by
removing the visible lines on the front, we perfected the
handle-less design with the Auto Open Door which means the
door can be opened with a slight push. Thanks to the active
cooperation of other teams such as product planning and
development, we were able to implement a handle-less design.
What’s more, satin glass was chosen as the door material to
create a calm and gentle feeling to stand out for static form,
effectively expressing the product design concept of providing
information through light. The satin glass door comes in Satin
White, Satin Beige, and Shimmer Charcoal to harmonize with the
interior tones often used in kitchens, and make it look like a
single package with the Bespoke Refrigerator.
When opening the door, the first thing you see is the color
change inside. Is that something you intended?
In the past, we used lighter colors on the interior to make
the bowls look clean and bright after washing, but this time a
dark gray color was boldly applied to emphasize premium
quality, durability, and functionality. Here, the bright blue
color was used to alleviate the stiffness of the dark gray and
create a clean look.
You mentioned internal design changes were made based on user
insights to improve usability. Can you tell us more?
Since the pandemic, the rise of hygiene awareness has led to
increased drinkware use. So a drinkware-dedicated wash jet was
added to the 3rd rack, allowing more drinkware to be placed
and cleaned thoroughly than before.
We also added a frying pan holder to the lower rack for better
pan cleaning. Depending on their lifestyle, some people use
deep pots or blenders more often than pans. That’s why we made
it foldable so each person can use the product according to
their needs.
This image has been created by generative AI(Magnific AI,
Midjourney, Firefly).
Are there any ways to better understand customers’ lifestyles
and changing values? I’m also curious to know how you
incorporate those insights into designs.
We visit a range of households to observe them using products,
and we conduct several user tests before launching new
products to find improvements and gain insights. We also have
a space inside the company, which is set up like a real home.
The designers actually cook, eat and even use the dishwashers
to clean up. We often simulate various situations from user’s
perspective and add or upgrade functions by referring to
different food culture data.
We also receive a lot of feedback on design. In particular,
many people say that they want the product to fit perfectly
well with their kitchen cabinets. So we often communicate with
furniture companies and research which designs would fit in
harmoniously if they’re put into ready-made products.
This image has been created by generative AI (Magnific AI,
Midjourney).
As designers of dishwashers and appliances, what kind of
design do you want to do in the future?
We designed this product with the hope that users feel it’s a
product well-made by experts, and like it more and more as
time passes. We hope that the design created from our ideas
will be used well without any inconvenience. We will continue
to strive to create dishwashers that use less water and clean
more thoroughly.
