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Re-thinking Roles: We Are All Designers of Play
By Laura Seargeant Richardson
Toycon's Sandbox Summit
May 2009
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SPEAKER NOTES Slide 8: How did we do it? We made the potential buyers of
these products active participants at the beginning of the design
This SEVEN-MINUTE presentation was given as part of a process. This is an example of what we call participatory design
panel at Toycon 2009 for the Sandbox Summit. Find out – making consumers our co-creators and not just evaluators at
more about Sandbox here: http://www.sandboxsummit.org the end.
Title Slide: When the market crashed, frog reached out to 50 of Slide 9: Another question: How many of you are concerned
our clients. And the word on the street was that the companies about age compression? What if you weren’t?
that stopped innovating in the last recession don't exist This is a recent concept from frog called ECOBlocks. It is a
anymore. We can increase play value by rethinking the roles of refresh on a classic sorting toy. The goal of this product is to
consumers in our process. We all want to "make play" and the instill green thinking in a child's early learning. It is also meant to
sooner you can provide the tools to enable mass participation, get a dialogue started between parents and their children - to
the more mindshare and market share you'll reap. bring the parents into the game.
Slide 4: For those of you who aren't familiar with frog, we just Slide 10: Why is it so important to bring not only parents into the
celebrated our 40th year of great design. we are more than an game, but more adults? The theme of rejuvenation isn’t just
industrial design firm, offering innovation workshops, research, about refreshing a product for kids, it’s about recasting it for
strategy, branding, technology, design and engineering. rejuveniles – people who have tastes that are traditionally
associated with someone younger.
Slide 5: We are also a global firm, with our most recent office A lot of companies have been slow to recognize and capture this
opening in Shanghai. Ni-hao Barbie. market, yet its an antidote to age compression.
Slide 6: I have a question for the audience. How many of you… Slide 11: How many of you…Consider your product leaving
have children provide your toy reviews? the shelf as its “end of life”? What if it wasn’t?
A few years ago, I was compelled to write an article for Beyond the idea of reinvention or rejuvenation is reflection. Next
Interactions Magazine called Design from the Inside Out. You Gen toys will better reflect what people want and need and thus,
might recall Lord of the Rings when Golem cried, "The Precious, will be more meaningful. First, I think we all know that genders
I must have the Precious.” You can see that a lot of time has are becoming irrelevant. We are now in a time of play without
been spent on packaging the Precious. But, true reinvention is borders.
not about character slapping.
Slide 7: When Disney turned to frog as a partner to design its
first consumer electronics line, we knew we needed to create
products that emotionally resonated with kids, and had
features that convinced parents to buy the product.
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SPEAKER NOTES
Slide 12: Small businesses are cashing in on the Do-It-Yourself
crowd and idea of re-use. Consider the toy lab in Cincinati OH –
for $14, kids get seven parts to create their new, one-of-a-kind
toy. The three-headed Barbies, according to the “designer” who
is four, “breathe fire and know karate.”
BIG TAKEAWAY: There is a real desire for Hasbro Hacks and
Mattel Mashups – will your companies be the ones leading the
charge?
Slide 13: The ICAN Barbie came out about three years ago -
and not from Mattel. Instead, it came from a non-profit, the Intl.
Canopy Network that wanted to tweak a pop icon and make it
an ambassador for female scientists.
This is niche novelty, but with a purpose.
Slide 14: Companies are learning how to tap into social
networking. [read michael dell quote]
Have direct conversations with your consumers. Give your fans
the tools to gift you their ideas.
Slide 15: There is something at frog we call Freaks, Geeks and
Cowboys – that is looking outside your core demographic for
new thinking. According to Nintendo, if they had looked to their
gaming fanbase for inspiration, they would never have created
the Wii. BIG TAKEAWAY: Look at subculture, embrace it and
seek to emulate it. And if you can’t do that, partner with big
name designers to do one of a kind custom runs.
Slide 16: So, what does the Transformer of tomorrow look like?
Using the themes of of reinvention, rejuvenation and reflection,
here are a few ideas.
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o erings
Innovation Strategy
Global Design Research, Market/Product Strategy, Organizational Governance
Media Design & Development
Mobile, Software, Web, Environmental, Print, Packaging, Brand
Industrial Design & Mechanical Engineering
Consumer Electronics, Lifestyle, Media, Healthcare
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WE ARE ONE GLOBAL TEAM
460 PEOPLE / 32 NATIONALITIES / 40 YEARS OF GLOBAL EXPERIENCE
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Stuttgart, Germany
Seattle, WA
San Francisco, CA Milan, Italy
New York, NY
San Jose, CA
Austin, TX
Shanghai, China
frog design o ces
Aricent o ces
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RE-invent
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Moving Flames Rhinestones and
flashing lights
Shapes that reflect Virtual reality,
a child’s interests wrap-around screen
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RE-juvenate
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RE-flect
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"These conversations are going to occur whether you like it or not. Well, do you want to be
part of that? My argument is you absolutely do. You can improve your reaction time. And you
can be a better company by listening and being involved in that conversation.”
Michael Dell
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Transformers of Tomorrow
Take inspiration from Enable entrepreneurs, Online and o ine as one
subculture creators, hacks and DIY
Smart transformers that sense
Designer Vinyl elements – Sponsor Hasbro Hacks and proximity (tamagotchi style)
“blank” transformers for color Mattel Mashups
customization. Transformer has an online life
Build Your Own Transformer without you – plays while you
Cater to collectors – provide – create online for custom sleep
extremes and purposefully tier experience
the product lines Transformers with GPS
Create Transformer “kits” tracking. Register your
Transformers spread the “go where I can build it myself Transformer, personalize it and
green” message – from “trash” it becomes your real world
to transformer or add solar Partner with Edison Nation avatar to communicate to
panels for extra “power” for new ideas from inventors other Transformer owners.
of all ages
Transformers as art, limited Transformers partner with Nike
edition or are co-created by Like Disney, partner with for the ultimate exercise game
subculture “artists” Zazzle for on-demand of movement – the shoe
character clothing and transforms the child and the
Release blind box toys - toys accessories and get mini-transformer inside is the
that are sold with their unprecedented agility conduit between the online
contents enshrouded in and o ine world for tracking
secrecy activity.
Note: young kids are the fastest
growing consumers of blind
box toys
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Transformers of Tomorrow
Think of a “system” of toys Design for Rejuveniles and
Play without Borders
Transformers with Lego-like
interchangeable parts Transformers for girls
Transformers that are Bring back old Transformer
practically purposeful lines – rejuveniles fall in love
(transforms into a child’s table all over again and children
or a bed) discover why they were
special in the first place.
Transformers that are more
cohesive – the di erent sizes Transformers desk objects –
work together to form a larger Give the transformers a third
experience. purpose, such as: media
player, calendar, alarm clock,
speakers, radio, mouse, usb
flash drive
Design for a “lifetime” of play
– like the Stokke chair, that
literally grows with you.
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Transformers for girls, ribbit!
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