'Details' for the Disabled... Samsung and LG Breaking Down Barriers in Home Appliances

Photo by Samsung Electronics

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, which dominate the domestic home appliance market, are focusing on removing obstacles to product use in order to satisfy a diverse range of customers. They are expanding accessibility through 'detail' features that consider those who find it inconvenient to see, hear, or use the products.

According to Samsung Electronics on the 6th, the keyword highlighted in the recently launched 2021 TV new product lineup is 'Screens for All.' This is Samsung Electronics' new vision presented at the 'Samsung First Look 2021' event in January. The core is strengthening accessibility technology so that people with audiovisual disabilities who may find it difficult to watch TV can have the same viewing experience as general consumers.

A representative example is the 'SeeColors' app, which checks for color vision deficiency and adjusts the screen so that those who have difficulty distinguishing colors clearly, despite perceiving hues, can properly see the colors displayed on the TV. There is also a color inversion function for those with low vision who are sensitive to light or those who cannot recognize colors at all.

For people with hearing impairments, features such as 'Audio Description,' which verbally describes actions or scenes shown on the screen, a function that enlarges sign language screens by 200%, and multi-output functionality that allows connecting Bluetooth devices to the TV and setting the desired volume level have also been incorporated.

Samsung Electronics has been developing 'accessibility technology' since 2014 to enable anyone to use TVs regardless of disability. Prior to this, to create TVs convenient for people who are completely blind or have low vision, Samsung gathered and incorporated feedback from actual users. Since 2013, they have continuously collaborated with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK and collected opinions from domestic and international disability organizations.

A Samsung Electronics official said, "Our goal is to provide the same viewing experience to all users by expanding the languages supported for voice guidance and developing sign language avatars, automatic subtitles, and sign language recognition technology."

Photo by LG Electronics

LG Electronics Introduces Voice Manuals and Braille Stickers for Washer-Dryers
Part of Koo Kwang-mo's 'Customer Delight' Initiative

LG Electronics is also putting effort into customer accessibility for home appliances. Recently, they introduced voice manuals for visually impaired users of the one-body washer-dryer Tromm WashTower. This feature explains the direction to open the door, the location of the control panel and buttons, allowing users with visual impairments to easily imagine these while touching the product. It also provides sound guidance for different operating situations, such as pressing the power button or selecting washing/drying options.

Braille stickers are also provided so that visually impaired users can read the control panel. When braille stickers are attached to the front panel of the Tromm WashTower control unit, users can confirm the locations of buttons such as power, washing/drying courses, and options in braille.

LG Electronics planned this service with the intention of expanding the range of consumers using essential home appliances. The Tromm WashTower was designed from the planning stage to consider vulnerable users by lowering the height by 87mm compared to conventional products installed in series and allowing the dryer to be operated from the middle.

This aligns with LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo’s emphasis on 'Customer Delight' in his New Year's address this year. The core is 'practice'?thinking from the customer's perspective and quickly reflecting this in product development and services. LG Electronics was the first domestic home appliance company to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Disabled Consumer Union in April last year to produce manuals for the visually impaired, as part of these efforts.

LG Electronics stated that through collaboration with the Korea Disabled Consumer Union, they plan to expand voice manuals and braille stickers across home appliances starting with the Tromm WashTower, including the CordZero M9 ThinQ mop robot vacuum cleaner and Dios dishwasher steam models.