The Design No One Asked For, But Everyone NeededIn this blog, we’ll dive into Samsung’s approach to digital product design and how they achieve a perfect blend of UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience).

⚡️ 1. The Call to Adventure

On paper, I was a Product Designer Lead.

In practice? I was someone trying to do the right thing without any real decision-making power.

I was tasked with documenting the color palette for an important Natura project: the Growth Plan, an internal gamification platform aimed at boosting consultant performance.

The visual proposal had come from an external agency — already approved by the brand and stakeholders.

The order was simple:

✏️ Document exactly what was delivered.

❌ No questioning. No altering. No refactoring.

But as I opened the file in Figma, I saw what few had the courage to say:

Colors were overly saturated. Poor contrast. No accessibility criteria whatsoever.

An invisible problem with real impact on the experience.

🚧 2. The Invisible Obstacles

Even with a Lead title, autonomy was an illusion:

• A manager from another area tried to interfere with visual decisions without any design background.

• The brand and stakeholders treated the agency’s delivery as untouchable.

• No room for change, even with obvious problems.

Freedom was lacking. But vision wasn’t.

🤖 3. The Strategic Turn

Even without official scope, permission, or allocated time, I chose to act.

I devised a three-pronged plan:

a. Using AI as a Silent Ally

I used AI tools to recalibrate hues, soften saturation, and generate harmonic and technically viable variations, respecting brand identity — but making it truly functional.

b. Structuring Design Tokens from Scratch

I implemented a scalable, semantic architecture:

{

"colorLevelLightest": {

"value": "#F5F5F5",

"type": "color"

},

"colorLevelLight": {

"value": "#F5F5F5",

"type": "color"

},

"colorLevel": {

"value": "#F5F5F5",

"type": "color"

},

"colorLevelDark": {

"value": "#F5F5F5",

"type": "color"

},

"colorLevelDarkest": {

"value": "#F5F5F5",

"type": "color"

}

}

These “#F5F5F5” values are just examples to illustrate the structure.

c. Creating Dark Mode Before It Was Requested

Even without an official request, I anticipated the need. I modeled it. I delivered it. I left it ready.

🎯 4. The Journey of Persuasion

With the agency’s V1 and my V2 side by side, I shifted the discussion to the visual field:

• Visual comparisons (AS-IS vs TO-BE)

• Demonstrating improvements in contrast, consistency, and accessibility

• Applying the new palette on real screens: dashboards, gamification flows, components

• Clearly structured tokens in Figma

I showed. I justified. I challenged.

And gradually, resistance faded.

✅ 5. The Approval

What was once off-scope became a benchmark.

The new color palette was valued by strategic leadership and officially recognized:

💬 ”Gabriel, thank you for seeing what no one wanted to acknowledge — and still choosing to act. You didn’t wait for authorization, nor hid behind your scope. You had the courage to do what was right, with strategic silence, technical foundation, and deep respect for brand identity. What you delivered wasn’t just a color system. It was a mature, generous, and rare decision. If I may give you one piece of advice: never lose the restlessness that drives you. It’s what turns an ordinary designer into a reference. You’re going far!”

— Branding Leadership during the Growth Plan journey – Natura Group

📈 6. Real Impact

• More harmonious, accessible, and readable interfaces

• Semantic, scalable token system

• Proactive inclusion of Dark Mode

• Alignment between branding, product, and technology

• Institutional recognition — even without formal authority

🖼️ 7. Visual Before & After

Cover Image:

Final screen of the system with the new palette applied — hero shot style

BEFORE – Agency’s V1 Palette:

Screen showing oversaturated colors, poor contrast, non-semantic structure

AFTER – My V2 Proposal:

Screen showing the new color system with optimal contrast and modular structure

Token Structure in Figma:

Screenshot of the variables panel organized by mode and level

🤔 8. What I Learned

This project taught me that leadership isn’t always about having a title —

it’s about having vision, action, and technical courage.

“Sometimes, the design that changes the game doesn’t come from the main scope — it comes from the initiative of those who see what no one else is willing to solve…”

🧠 Summary

• Product: Growth Plan (Natura)

• Role: Product Designer Lead with limited formal authority

• Deliverables: New color palette, semantic tokens, Dark Mode, full documentation

• Technical approach: AI assistance, WCAG-compliant contrast, scalable structure

• Impact: Greater accessibility, clarity, and future-proofing