WebOS: Simplifying LG Smart TV experience

In keeping with LG Electronics’ philosophy of creating easily accessible products, LG Electronics have developed its own distinctive take on what it means to create products with an intuitive responsiveness to the demands of users.

With the powerful hardware of LG appliances and devices presenting so many options, programmers have taken a series of radical steps in interface design to allow users full control of their devices and to minimize complexity.

For example, the G3 smartphone – one of LG’s most high profile releases in years – exemplifies the company’s user-friendly philosophy with its minimal yet adaptable UX.

Programmers have also built HomeChat, a communication system for LG devices based on using natural language in order to communicate with home appliances.

Gone are the days when finding the right wash setting or recipe meant dredging through an endless series of menus.

With all of these intuitive developments designed to save users time, how users spend free time has also become more enjoyable with the help of the webOS platform for LG’s Smart TVs. LG equips most of its smart TVs with the simple yet powerful webOS platform. LG’s webOS Smart+TVs have the unique ability to connect users with the wealth of knowledge available on the internet, so it is important to ensure that webOS grants access to the full potential of the smart TV.

The first time the user turns on the webOS-enabled LG Smart TV, an animated character named BeanBird appears onscreen to help get connected and walk the use through the setup process.

All the viewer has to do is shake the Magic Remote or press the OK button to receive further advice from the winged virtual facilitator. webOS can instantly recognize when and what kind of external device has been plugged into the TV and brings up a pop-up menu listing all relevant options for the user to choosefrom. The new Launcher, a left-to-right scrollable menu that runs along the lower portion of the screen is one of the most distinctive features of webOS. The Launcher makes it possible to switch between broadcast TV, smart TV content and media stored on external devices without having to return to the Home screen. It allows the viewer to simultaneously watch a show, play a game or browse the internet while searching or downloading other content. What’s more, Live Menu, which can be opened while viewing the TV, keeps the search, recommendation and channel options within easy reach.

LG’s webOS also offers access to the LG Store’s comprehensive collection of apps. The LG Store lets users browse the most-viewed and most-downloaded items available from across the Smart TV platform, including broadcast TV programs and the latest games.

The logically organized categories, which include 3D content, games and movies, employ thumbnail images for fast and convenient selection of content.

Putting all of these options in the hands of users was certainly a challenge, but as jazz musician Charles Mingus said, “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” Clean. Easy to use. User-friendly. Intuitive. This mantra is proclaimed by many but often gets lost in translation.

The culprit: complexity. How one deals with complexity can make or break an application.

A complex interface can disorient the user in a mild case and completely alienate them in an extreme case. But if you take measures first to reduce actual complexity and then to minimize perceived complexity, the user will be rewarded with a gratifying experience. LG’s commitment to enhancing the practicality of its products extends beyond the high tech world of tablets and smartphones into changing the way that consumers interact with basic home appliances. For LG, usability is about more than simplifying product functions; rather the philosophy is primarily concerned with helping users get the absolute most out of their devices. This is the line of thinking that led to the development of LG Smart Home.

The LG Smart Home is designed to minimise the effort that goes into daily chores and thereby give users more free time to spend as they see fit. LG Smart Home is made up of a number of components which link together through the revolutionary LG HomeChat. While the appliances are all capable of functioning independently, the more they are used together, the clearer their benefits become. HOM-BOT SQUARE Vacuum cleaner changes the paradigm by revolutionizing cleaning. HOM-BOT SQUARE’S sharper angled design, longer brushes, low 89mm height and improved sensors leave dust with few places to hide. Upgraded Dual Eye 2.0™ camera sensors accurately scan and map floor surfaces, even in the dark. Thanks to its Learning Function, HOM-BOT SQUARE can remember areas it has previously cleaned and with a low noise level of only 60dBA, HOM-BOT SQUARE goes about cleaning quietly without causing a disturbance.

LG’s CordZero™, a new cordlesscanister vacuum cleaner,raises the barin convenience with no power cord to repeatedly plug and unplug, enabling consumers to clean freely from room to room without any tangling or hassles,reducing overall cleaning time. CordZero™ features an innovativebuilt-in lithium-ion batteryPowerPack™ providing 200 watts of suction power and continuous cleaningfor up to 40 minutes in regular power mode. CordZero™employsLG’s Smart InverterMotor™to guarantee maximum performance with high efficiency and durability in a compact size. The Smart Inverter MotorTM from LG is on average 28 percent smaller, 22 percent lighter and 13 percent more efficient than conventional vacuum motors

Announcing the latest addition to LG’s growing reputation in the wearables market, Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, had this to say: “What we’ve noticed in the year of the wearable is that this is a category that can’t be compared to smartphones and tablets. Wearables are also accessories and consumers will want more than one to choose from. So we wanted to complement the modern design of the original G Watch with the classic look of the G Watch R. Customers can’t go wrong with either device.” That ‘wearables’ represent a completely different category to other mobile smart devices, primarily due to the importance of fashion in their desirability is an idea that must remain central if these devices are to mass proliferate. However at the same time as looking good, these products must also possess high usability qualities which have tangible benefits for humans. Televisions are often the marquee electronic product of any home, and possessing a top-quality TV has become a priority for many families.

However, despite its status as the premier electronic product of the home, TVs are one of the last products to truly go smart. While passable Smart TVs certainly exist, and are capturing a growing market share with each passing year. What holds most people back from fully exploiting the programming offered by their Smart TVs is the complicated operating system that can drown users in a sea of content. With on demand movies available alongside live TV and streaming services, many customers simply don’t know where to start. The LG G3 is one of the most capable smartphones on the market, and its UX has caught the attention of reviewers for its slimmed- down approach that gives users the freedom to intuitively customize phone operations. The programming behind the UX itself is actually smaller and less intrusive than its Android rivals. This frees up more of the G3’s processing power, allowing it to run lightning fast. The practical UX is built around customizing the user experience so that every G3 proves the ideal fit for its individual usage profile. Users can change everything from the keyboard size and layout to camera functions and hotkeys.

Ben Uzor