2014
2014
2020
PROJECTS
UX/UI building instructions
To match a successful new product, the experience and communication with our users was key.
I worked hands on, creating mock ups, testing and guiding creative direction on the development of the inspiration and instruction booklet for the new LEGO DOTS line.
Collaborating cross-team to ensure the best result possible.
2019-2021
New poster building instructions for the DOTS pineapple pencil holder set
Technical skills
- UX/UI design
- user testing
- insight interpretation
- illustrator and photoshop
soft skills
- cross-team work
- communication
- stakeholder management
premise & target group
We understood from the beginning that our target user would struggle with classic building instructions, due to their preferred type of play, attention span and building/creative aim.
We started by analysing and testing which were the key barriers in the classic building instruction (BIs ) formats, for our users.
This influenced the design of the experience, interaction and had an impact on the product itself.
Barriers
Intimidation by the amount of pages, no interest in opening a booklet, not feeling in charge of the process, having to search for the information, too many steps, lack of inspiration... were only but a few of the pain points we noticed for our users.
We also considered the role parents would have in the building experience and their level of involvement.
More detail in the key barriers can be seen in the images below, which take examples from instructions in other sets.
NB: the example BIs were designed for other target users and work for them.
new user group
Our design is targeted to low building affinity kids, aged 6+, with a passion for arts&crafts.
DOTS is to be the new arts&crafts offering from LEGO and should inspire creativity and allow the kids to feel like designers and creators in their own right. With no right or wrong and an infinity of possibilities.
The UX/UI of the building instructions is key to bring this to life, both for our target users and for more experienced builders looking for a different experience with LEGO.
finding the pain points
The booklet was not inviting and some kids didn't even realise they had to open it. trying to build from the front image
At times, due to the larger amount of steps and model complexity, there can be several booklets present in the set. This was a big no, no for our target users
A high amount of steps and building elements, intimidated our users and created rejection towards the product.
This insights changed the layout of our packaging. It influenced the product itself, the quantity and diversity of elements, to ensure the build would fit in simpler BIs
A call to action was important, yet it needed to take less space and be inspirational
Call outs for special tools were still important. They needed to be called out in a more subtle and engaging way, to resonate with DOTS and our users
Knowing what you are building towards was important to kids, this aspect becomes very abstract as you go through the building and this had a detrimental effect on the building experience
As seen here, only the tail being built would have created confusion to our target user because of the lack of context
After a couple of steps, a lot of our low affinity target users would lose interest or get confused. It was key to us to try and reduce the building steps as much as possible, whilst still creating a pleasant and intuitive building experience
A lack of context and scale, made it more impersonal for the kids building. Having an aspirational aspect was important to the experience and the users
iterations and testing
During the process we created a series of different BI versions, with different layouts, thought starters, balance between inspiration and building. Creating a completely new experience whilst keeping the LEGO DNA.
Each step of the way, the material was tested with focus groups, of different sizes, to confirm the learnings and gain further insight.
key insights
Using a grid system allowing to create a much stronger information hierarchy and navigation for the user
The poster format was the best received. It invited to be read, kids would quickly look at both sides and then choose where to start
Inspiration/thought starters where seen to be key as a way to empower the user to create their own pattern and decorate the builds or the plates. A question mark was sufficient to trigger the imagination
Using kids hands gave context for sizing and for the reality of the product. This gave the kids more confidence in the fact they could do it themselves
Detail call outs and arrows allowed to show smaller details in the inspiration pages. Putting, once again, the user in charge as to whether they wanted to add the extra elements to their product or not
Aspirational image of a child was a nice to have. In later versions of the BIs, after further testing, we realised the hands were enough, hence why this isn't present in the latest BIs
Compartmentalising builds with coloured boxes aided information intake
Arrows further helped guide the eye to the next step, for our low affinity builders
A call to action to turn the poster over, leads to the inspiration page, thanks to the arrow and the colour tiles. Our goal was for kids to choose whether to start building or decorating first
Reminder of what to build towards. A decorated version to inspire to go to the inspiration side
Inspiration area, has many different patterns which the kids can follow step by step or be inspired by, to create their own design
final inspiration poster
Below you can see an example of a final, recto-verso, inspiration poster for the Animal Picture Holders (SKU 41906).
Using a 3 column grid to compartmentalise information and allow for the eye to easily focus on different information
Inspiration starter/call to action top left, as first thing eye looks at
Inspiration sections for different patterns: divided into animal faces (bottom left) and fur patterns (top right)
Hero shot of the final model and how it can look. It's all about enjoying the process, but sometimes having a reminder of what you are aiming for is helpful
Different builds divided into sections and different colours
Call to action towards decoration and inspiration page
Number 1 is highlighted to show the first step of building instructions
oNe size...
does not fit all
For January 2021 launch I designed a new product: the creative party kit (SKU 41926).
This set is aimed to be used by a group of kids, during a craft afternoon or a birthday party event and/or as a party favour. The set focuses 90% on decoration.
We wanted to maintain the poster format we had tested, and knew worked so well, yet understood the layout wouldn't work for the type of play and quantity of kids (up to 8) who could play with it.
We divided the poster in 8 sections, which would have inspiration on one side and showcase the building on the other. Virtually creating 8 mini posters, one for each child. We kept play starters, calls to action and the hands to ensure the experience was consistent and equal for all.
inspiring parents
We added a section, targeted both at parents and kids, showcasing possible party/crafternoon layouts, highlighting the contents and suggesting how to cut up the BI for the party/party favours.
