LG Recognized for Leading Sustainable Innovation to Address Global Challenges
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By News Reporter
Good product design is all about understanding and meeting customers’ needs. As a leader in the home appliance industry, LG integrates ‘customer-centricity’ into every stage of the design process to ensure its products deliver a more convenient and emotionally satisfying user experience. The company continues to show the way forward, making innovative appliances and smart home solutions for a better life based on its ‘3F’ design philosophy.
The Essence of 3F: Fit, Feel, Finish
“LG uses the term ‘3F’ to refer to the appearance, performance and other tangible and intangible qualities of its products experienced by the customer,” said Chung Wook-jun, vice president and head of H&A Design Lab at LG Electronics’ Life Innovation Design Center. “In essence, 3F is a set of principles that guides the company as it weaves the core values of completeness, ease of use and emotional satisfaction into each product it makes.”
3F stands for Fit, Feel and Finish. ‘Fit’ refers to seamless (zero gap) product design and overall design uniformity, while ‘Feel’ encompasses the smooth and resilient operation of moving parts as well as the satisfying feedback that interfaces, doors and other components provide when handled by users. ‘Finish’ focuses on matching the right colors with the right materials and achieving a clean, consistent aesthetic across product lines. The definition of 3F has gradually expanded over time and now extends to elements such as ergonomics, user experience (UX) optimization and user interface (UI) usability.
Officially introduced in 2001, 3F is now deeply ingrained in the way LG works. The company even formed a specialized organization to focus on 3F, which collaborates closely with several departments – including product planning, design, development, quality control and sales – to maintain a cohesive approach to customer-centric design.
Customer-Centric Design Research
The core aspect of 3F work is to guarantee the completeness of every product LG develops. Through securing a high level of completeness in the development phase, the company helps to prevent potential quality issues from arising during production.
At the concept planning stage, LG identifies and addresses any deficiencies or inconveniences associated with previously released models to prevent their recurrence in new products. Using its own internally developed ergonomic standards, the company thoroughly evaluates products for ease-of-use and to determine if further improvements are needed. Prior to finalization and mass-production, LG re-evaluates its products using up to 160 different criteria to assess whether completeness has been achieved.
When a prototype is produced at the design verification stage, it is tested under actual usage conditions. Data-driven feedback derived from these tests – such as the precise measurement of the force needed to open an appliance’s door – enables the relevant departments to make necessary adjustments.
Quality testing at LG involves extensive processes to ensure products meet usage and reliability standards. Should a product fail any test, LG carefully identifies and addresses the root cause of the issue. Subsequently, the product undergoes hundreds of additional tests until it meets the company’s exacting internal standards. Multiple methods are employed to confirm that each unit produced matches the usability and reliability standards set during the development phase. The data gathered throughout these various processes is meticulously analyzed to refine future designs.
Subtle Details that Reflect LG’s 3F Design Principles
The recently launched LG SIGNATURE washer/dryer exemplifies the company’s commitment to its 3F design principles. Manufactured using the same methods employed to produce luxury goods, the washer/dryer successfully delivers the ‘high-end’ aesthetic and feel of LG’s original design concept. The attention to subtle details that is so much a part of 3F design can be seen in the dryer’s filter grip, which has been designed in accordance with knuckle-width studies and numerous customer acceptance surveys to provide optimal usability.
To enhance the sophistication and operability of the control knobs applied to its washing machines, LG conducted a comprehensive range of 3F research initiatives and even developed its own custom measuring equipment. The company’s efforts led to the creation of a control knob reminiscent of the center-console control dials found in luxury automobiles, providing a pleasingly premium look and feel while also contributing to a better user experience in both a practical and emotional sense.
Introduced last year on select LG refrigerator models, the Auto Soft Closing System is another example of LG’s customer-centric 3F design. The system uses dampers to ensure that the refrigerator door closes softly and quietly, enhancing usability, convenience and customer satisfaction.
The 3F design principle, which reveals LG’s strong commitment to the pursuit of perfection, is intertwined with another uniquely LG concept: ‘Affection-ism.’ Affection-ism could be described as a ‘design mindset,’ centering on caring for customers via the delivery of ‘Uncompromising Customer Experiences,’ ‘Human-centered Innovation’ and the ‘Warmth to Power a Smile.’ By staying true to its core values and customer-first philosophies, LG will continue to provide products that exceed expectations and make everyday life that much better.
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By News Reporter
With a commitment to creating a better life for all entailing a greener future for everyone, LG is taking all the necessary steps to realizing a healthier planet for future generations. These include designing and executing green initiatives, such as rethinking operational processes and product lifecycles to reduce carbon emissions and waste, as well as developing technologies that promote sustainability and inclusivity.
In line with this overarching mission, LG Indonesia recently launched its ‘Better life for all’ campaigns to inspire the country’s younger generation to adopt sustainable lifestyles. This exciting event focused on promoting a sustainable food culture and raising awareness of food issues in a time when food waste and food insecurity is high in Indonesia.
The country faces an alarming food waste issue, ranking second globally with an annual generation of 20.93 million tons, according to the United Nations Environment Program Food Waste Index Report 2021. This waste results in economic losses ranging from IDR 213 to 551 trillion per year1 and exacerbates food insecurity, with Indonesia ranking 77th out of 125 countries on the 2023 Global Hunger Index.2 LG aspires to fight food waste and insecurity issues by engaging the younger generation, who make up over 50 percent of Indonesia’s population.
The campaign began this March with ‘Better Life Recipe,’ an event in collaboration with renowned chef
link hidden, please login to view. As part of this event, Devina created a recipe designed to minimize food waste. On Instagram and TikTok, she offered her followers a choice between two traditional Korean dishes: a scrumptious bibimbap with taichan sauce and a delicious bulgogi (Korean marinated beef dish). Through a poll, bulgogi emerged as the winning dish, later making another appearance in the campaign. To further raise public awareness and spark conversation, LG ran the ‘Better Life Social Challenge’ – #MaskaPintarLG – encouraging young Indonesians to recreate the zero-food-waste recipe themselves.
Continuing the campaign in April, LG hosted the “Better Life Festival,” an offline program aimed at promoting sustainability by raising public awareness about the adverse effects of food waste.
The two-day festival, held at Chillax Sudirman Jakarta, featured an array of activities, such as green workshops and expert panel discussions, designed to engage and educate attendees. The festival was a resounding success, attracting over 2,000 participants and igniting a passion among Indonesia’s youth for a new era of eco-conscious living. The event was organized into several interactive zones, including ‘Jane’s Boutique,’ ‘Jack’s Open Kitchen’ and ‘CRAFT SHOP,’ each with a unique focus.
‘Jane’s Boutique’ featured the LG Styler, a product that introduced visitors to the benefits of steam-refreshing garments, as well as the LG WashTower. Participants could engage in a quiz on clothing care and sustainable practices, and even create durable bags from recycled banner materials, underscoring LG’s commitment to environmental responsibility. Visitors could also learned about LG’s air purifiers, including the LG PuriCare AeroTower and AeroFurniture – products with components created from recycled plastics.
Next, ‘Jack’s Open Kitchen’ featured cooking demonstrations by Chef Devina Hermawan, who creatively used leftover ingredients to prepare delicious dishes and beverages, such as tea made from imperfect apples, aiming to reduce food waste in Indonesian households.
This zone also featured LG’s diverse array of innovative products that help reduce food waste, such as LG InstaView Door-in-Door refrigerator. This refrigerator allows users to check the contents by knocking twice on the panel without opening the door, preventing the escape of cold air. Featuring cutting-edge innovations such as LinearCooling and DoorCooling technologies, the fridge can extend freshness of stored food and contribute to effective food waste reduction.
Moreover, in partnership with the Badan Pangan Nasional (BAPANAS/National Food Agency), FoodCycle Indonesia and Universitas Prasetiya Mulya – a local university that developed a composting solution for food waste – LG facilitated a broad range of activities to promote sustainable living. A booth was set up for visitors to make food donations, supporting BAPANAS’s Save Food movement to decrease national food waste.
And, as the next leg of the campaign, LG Indonesia organized a food donation drive from May 10-12 in the Jakarta and Tangerang areas. The ‘Better Life Food Distribution’ event was operated by 140 LG Indonesia employees and volunteers the company’s partners, including BAPANAS, Universitas Prasetiya Mulya and FoodCycle Indonesia. To further support community welfare and sustainability efforts, LG and its partners donated a total of 1,500 waste-free meal kits and 1,500 bulgogi lunch boxes – made with the zero waste recipe created by Chef Devina Hermawan earlier in the campaign – to local welfare foundations.
Through this on-going campaign, LG Indonesia reaffirmed its commitment to aiding the younger generation adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. The partnership will continue throughout the year with additional interactive activities geared toward Indonesian youth to amplify LG’s mission of providing a ‘Better life for all’ and promoting sustainable living.
Stay tuned to to discover the myriad of ways LG’s forward-thinking subsidiaries are promoting sustainable practices around the world.
Contributed by LG Indonesia in collaboration with H&A Global Brand Team
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By News Reporter
‘Optimism your feed’ Playlist Curated by Global Influencers Will Enable Users
to Engage With Optimistic and Inspiring Content on Their Social Media Feeds
SEOUL, May 29, 2024 — LG Electronics (LG) today launched a global campaign called ‘Optimism your feed,’ which aims to help users bring more optimism to their social media experience by inviting them to proactively engage with positive and inspiring content on their feeds.
“As a customer-focused brand, LG is a passionate champion of optimism. We aim to create positive changes in people’s lives by being intentional with our positive activities both online and in the real world,” said Kim Hyo-eun, vice president and head of LG’s Brand Management Division. “In the AI era, LG remains committed to our unwavering promise of ‘Life’s Good.’ We will continue to enhance our customers’ lives with a human-centric approach, fostering hope for a better future.”
A new global survey commissioned by LG found that social media is both a source of anxiety and a place where people turn to be entertained, keep up with friends and family, and stay informed about news and current events. According to the survey, almost half of respondents (45 percent) report their social media feeds consist of an equal or greater amount of negative content than positive content. One in four respondents (28 percent) claimed negative content on their social media feeds has increased their anxiety and one in five (20 percent) said it has made them unhappy.
link hidden, please login to view also suggest that algorithms often promote negative and niche conversations. The global survey sought to understand the triggers that affect how algorithms work and how to increase your feed’s positive content. The result is the ‘Optimism your feed’ playlist of original content that, when interacted with, will pull more optimistic content into your feed.* ‘Optimism your feed’ is part of LG’s global , introduced last year to inspire and encourage people to approach life with an optimistic attitude.
Created in collaboration with global influencers renowned for their optimistic influences including , , and more, the ‘Optimism your feed’ playlist includes over 20 short-form videos ranging from motivation to feel-good content.
Additionally, LG is consulting with social media experts including Professor , an information scientist and technology ethicist, with a PhD in Human Centered Computing. Fiesler researches and teaches in the areas of technology ethics, internet policy and online communities, and has published on topics such as social media content moderation and recommender systems. She also educates the public on these topics as a content creator.
Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and algorithms play a significant role in the content that we see in these spaces. LG’s global playlist and campaign gives users the opportunity to see more positive and uplifting posts. By being more conscious about what we choose to engage with, we can bring stronger optimism, balance and happiness to our lives.
According to Fiesler, “Recommendation algorithms determine what we see on social media by predicting what content we are likely to engage with. These algorithms can therefore send us down ever more specific niches – for good and for bad. Research has shown that left unchecked, users can go down negative rabbit holes and encounter harmful content quite quickly. One of our first lines of defense needs to be improving our digital literacy, and paying more attention to how algorithms influence our online experiences. And the good news is that we do have some control over the input for these algorithmic predictions; if we choose to engage with optimistic content, there’s a good possibility we will see more of it.”
Victoria Browne, a global influencer and TEDx Talk speaker, said, “The algorithms on our social channel can have a big impact on the content we see online, which impacts our mental health. That’s why I’m passionate about ‘Optimism your feed’, and I hope that people use this playlist as a foundation to retrain their algorithm and encourage positivity in all aspects of their lives. So much of the stigma and difficulty of tackling mental health is that it is unseen. With this campaign, we are saying you should reach out to your friends, and that we can help each other. Our algorithm should recommend content that makes us feel more connected to people, not less.”
The ‘Optimism your feed’ playlist can be found on LG’s global TikTok channel and global YouTube channel , and will later spread to various social media platforms through collaborations with influencers around the world. More details can be found on the campaign page on .
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* According to a global survey conducted by Dynata on behalf of LG in 2024.
Survey Methodology
Timings: Fieldwork conducted from April 26 to May 2, 2024
Countries: USA, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, France, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, South Korea, India, Australia
Age: People between 22 and 65 years old and weekly TikTok or Instagram users
Sample Size: 400 respondents in the USA, 200 respondents in the rest of the markets
Method: Quantitative questionnaire online survey through Dynata’s proprietary panel
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By News Reporter
In business, meaningful growth can’t happen without innovation. It’s essential if your organization is to evolve and thrive, and if you’re serious about adding value to people’s daily lives.
With a thirst to drive innovation, and a wealth of knowledge in the area of IoT, I set out to establish and grow my own startup. I’m happy to say I succeeded in this endeavor. However, with the business model being rather narrow – a continuous cycle of making products and then selling them – there were limitations to what I could do.
After making the decision to sell my company, I went on to serve as the Presidential Innovation Fellow for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), a program run by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. It was a valuable and enlightening experience. There, I had the chance to work with leading tech companies to further develop and execute plans for industrial IoT and global smart cities. During my seven years in the U.S. federal government, I realized that there are limits to what governments can do with regard to building smart ecosystems. In the end, private companies are the ones bringing the ideas and concepts of smart solutions and businesses to fruition.
This was when I was first approached by LG Electronics. The company wanted to create a new organization dedicated to the discovery of future businesses. LG offered me this amazing opportunity to head up a team they were in the process of putting together.
I thought deeply about the prospect of joining LG. While the company is universally recognized as a strong player in the consumer electronics field, looking in from the outside, it seemed to lack what some might call, a certain ‘disruptive innovation.’ However, I was intrigued by its determination and desire to uncover future businesses and was confident that the company possessed the agility necessary to change and ‘disrupt.’
Personally, I believe that if there are ten great ideas on the table, seven or eight of them will fail to develop into successful businesses. While many people view this way of thinking about business creation as just plain crazy, LG CEO William Cho is, thankfully, not among them.
At LG NOVA, an initiative I am grateful to lead, our mission is to establish a community for nurturing, growing and creating new businesses in new market areas for LG. Early in the LG NOVA journey, we realized that entering new businesses – or new business areas – is difficult if you’re relying solely on your internal capabilities.
If LG wants to create new home appliances, it is in a good position to do this internally because it is already a global leader in consumer electronics, with all the necessary expertise and experience at its disposal. LG NOVA’s mandate is to explore entirely new and different concepts, not currently in LG’s wheelhouse. Although there are thousands of engineers and experts working in LG’s R&D centers, their expertise is in products and areas of business that LG is already in. This is why the LG executive team resolved to look outside of LG.
Our goal is to explore new business avenues that would, ultimately, help contribute to the advancement of LG Electronics. Startups, by the nature of their business model and ability to be at the ground-level of market needs, are leading the forefront of innovation. However, startups will not partner with just any firm that approaches them. This is why we needed to show that LG, as a company, has the commitment and capability to go far beyond home appliances and TVs. This is where LG NOVA comes in.
To establish ourselves in the market, we came up with the idea of hosting a grand challenge. In September 2021, we announced the launch of
link hidden, please login to view, an annual, global competition for startups where we could identify innovative technologies and business ideas for a better tomorrow. The participating startups were tasked with developing and presenting technology-based solutions for improving daily life, our communities and the planet. The tech areas we asked them to focus on included clean tech, healthcare and future tech/AI. To give you an idea of how it works, imagine there is a startup that creates sensors for use in healthcare devices. They might pitch a scenario or concept where their sensors are deployed in TVs to enable innovative new services. Our own business experts, or entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs), would then work with the startup to assess the feasibility of their idea. In many cases, EIRs would work closely with the startup to develop a relevant, but entirely different business idea that could be exciting to both parties. If the idea was deemed to be viable, and in alignment with LG NOVA’s goals and values, a partnership agreement might result and LG NOVA would launch a new business based on the collaboration. This is how a small, fledgling company can set its unique concept on the fast track to becoming a commercialized product.
Through this process, and by combining our capacity with the startup’s capacity, we can create a joint business where LG has as much ‘skin in the game’ as the startup. And at every step along the way, LG NOVA will be right there with them, from meeting with investors to introducing and marketing the ‘final product’ to customers. Through LG NOVA, we can create new products and services that can make a positive difference – and do it at a much larger scale than a startup could manage, if it were to go it alone.
I am proud to be a part of LG and to help guide LG NOVA into exciting new territories where boundless innovation awaits discovery. And I can say, without exaggeration, that I truly love this role. Ultimately, I’m striving for Innovation for Impact – which also happens to be the motto and the philosophy of LG NOVA. While there are many, many ways to make a profit, we have committed ourselves to achieving profitability in a meaningful way, and to leaving a lasting, positive impact on the world.
By Dr. Sokwoo Rhee, executive vice president of Innovation for LG Electronics, head of LG NOVA
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By News Reporter
LG remains steadfast in its commitment to actively nurture ideas with the potential to fuel the company’s future growth. By fostering a corporate culture that not only encourages challenges but also embraces failures as stepping stones to success, LG aims to embody the principles that have been at the heart of CEO William Cho’s leadership philosophy since his tenure began. CEO Cho consistently champions the ‘Brave Optimist’ mindset, inspiring everyone to boldly undertake challenges and relentlessly innovate, anchored in the belief that the customer is always the key to unlocking solutions.
A prime embodiment of this ethos is ‘STUDIO341,’ an initiative launched by LG last year. This program is designed to identify and cultivate in-house ventures that encapsulate the spirit of challenge and innovation, a mindset that has been instrumental in propelling LG from its humble beginnings as Goldstar in 1958 to its current status as a global leader in home appliances. The ‘341’ in ‘STUDIO341’ serves as a poignant reminder for LG’s ‘Brave Optimists’ to stay true to the company’s roots, symbolizing the original street address of Goldstar in Busan, Korea’s second-largest city.
The initiative welcomed anyone with a creative idea that can solve a problem worth solving and provide a new experience to customers. The response was impressive, with over 100 internal submissions received.
In the previous year, LG shortlisted the top thirteen ideas – one more than the originally intended twelve – which were further narrowed down to six during an internal IR event. This process involved evaluating the ideas based on their potential to provide unique customer experiences. The selection criteria encompassed business value, feasibility, potential impact and team capabilities.
The chosen teams were relocated to an external office to be able to fully immerse themselves in developing their in-house venture ideas. By March 2024, the top six teams had the opportunity to present their business proposals at the ‘STUDIO341 Demo Day’ in Seoul, in front of LG executives and potential investors.
After thorough deliberation, the top five teams selected for spinoff were unveiled: ‘MASKIT,’ a mobile ticketing and admission service for performing arts that removes the necessity for queuing; ‘FreshGo,’ an original cold chain transportation solution that leverages individual refrigeration technology; ‘Cucumber,’ a platform focused on local food pickup services; ‘Found Objet,’ a digital transaction platform for recycled plastic materials; and ‘X-UP,’ a solution for diagnosing and maintaining golf courses using robots and heat mapping technology.
Meanwhile, LG partnered with Bluepoint, a partnership-driven Korean startup accelerator, to leverage their ability to objectively assess the teams’ capabilities and provide more effective support. This approach has helped streamline the whole process to a year, with six months for selection and six months for development. During the process, each team will receive a joint investment from LG and Bluepoint up to a maximum of KRW 400 million.
In parallel, LG is intensifying its collaboration with global startups, as exemplified by its partnership with Amwell, a U.S. telemedicine company, to provide remote medical treatment solutions across North America. The company also aims to evaluate the viability of services in prevention, diagnosis, post-management and recovery, among others.
LG NOVA, LG’s North America Center for Innovation, launched its “Mission For the Future” by presenting the Eureka Park showcase at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. It also leveraged its influence to introduce startups operating in the digital healthcare field, such as XR Health, Mindset Medical and C.Light Technologies.
Stay tuned to
link hidden, please login to view to see how else the company is revolutionizing the customer experience for all. # # #
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