Toy Design
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Prototyping
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Prototyping
Week 3
BLOG POST PROJECT 01
(Due: Tuesday, February 25. This is graded with your project)Part 1: Post the link to your slides.
Part 2: Select and answer one of the questions we discussed during the presentations in one or two paragraphs, no more. This question does not need to be one of your questions. When answering consider that you should agree or disagree, then explain your answer, and finally provide an example or evidence to support your answer. You can expand on something you already said during the discussion or something completely new that you understood after listening other perspectives.
Slinky in Space
This is the link to my slides:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17H1Xdk2lf7zVJjObQ5gSkn7PI_Gx1XLs/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=108494954303150987233&rtpof=true&sd=true
I remember a discussion in class about the differences in toy design for adults and children. In class, I mentioned safety concerns, such as avoiding sharp edges. After doing some research, I found that there are indeed many regulations. For example:
- Children’s toys: Must strictly follow international safety standards (such as ISO 8124). Materials are primarily non-toxic plastics and natural wood, with surface treatments avoiding heavy metals or chemical coatings.
- Adult toys: Materials focus more on texture and collectible value, such as metal, resin, or eco-friendly bioplastics. Safety requirements are relatively more relaxed, but high-end products may emphasize environmental attributes (e.g., FSC-certified wood).
While reading What Exactly is Play, I started thinking about the concept of "learning." In the article, Peter Gray states, "Play is guided by mental rules, but the rules leave room for creativity." The author mentions constructing toys in this context. My first thought was about how toys like LEGO are designed—where the raised circular studs and recessed holes naturally guide players toward a specific way of interacting with them. This is an example of a mental rule, which I believe perfectly aligns with the author's argument. Children unconsciously develop spatial imagination and building skills within these rules.
As for the Slinky, I think it operates similarly to LEGO. Its play mechanism is based on real-world spring physics. When playing with it, our brains intuitively grasp a mental rule from everyday experience—when you stretch a Slinky, it will contract. Children can then use their imagination to explore different ways to play, such as making it walk down stairs or performing intricate tricks like those seen in videos.
During our group discussion, I kept thinking about how technological advancements and different eras influence toy design. According to Homo Ludens, play is the foundation of cultural creation, and toys, as the material carriers of play, always revolve around the core function of playing. Since culture and time are closely linked, it is inevitable that the era will be reflected in toys. For example, with the development of AI and VR, VR gaming devices have emerged. However, even though technology alters the form of toys (e.g., digitization), their fundamental purpose remains unchanged: to inspire imagination and creativity through interaction. This underlying principle persists despite technological evolution.
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT 3
Choose the user for the project 2 you are going to make in the next weeks.Post an interview to this person, you can post a video or a script. Ask questions to your user such as what do they like to do?, what animal/object/colors does they like?, what do they do for living?, what are their hobbies?, what toys do they have or had they liked to play the most? what skill do they want to develop the most? etc…Observe, draw sketches with your observations and be strategic and ask or do anything you think it is useful for designing their toy.
Post your methods and results of the interview with your user. Write about what you found interesting for your purpose of designing a toy for this person. Finally post three ideas/sketches of toys you can design and make for this user, considering the play value and what playing experience you are going to provide with this toy.
For my user interview, I chose my younger sister, Demi. She has a large collection of plush toys at home, she is someone I’m very close to, and I believe that toys, to some extent, are quite personal. The better you understand someone, the better you can create a toy that truly resonates with the user. So, I conducted an interview with her.
Interestingly, I promise we didn’t discuss anything in advance—she spoke freely during the interview and even shared her own definition of what a toy is. What surprised me the most was that she mentioned how toys can inspire children's imagination, which aligns perfectly with my own thoughts.
She enjoys drawing and crafting. Her favorite color is purple, and her favorite animals are cats, dolphins, and unicorns. In the future, she dreams of becoming either a lawyer or an artist—perhaps a painter.
At the end of our conversation, she highlighted something she found particularly important: the eyes of a toy. I’m not sure if this was influenced by the ancient Chinese story of dotting the dragon’s eyes, but it struck me as a key detail to consider when designing toys. She also shared the story of the first plush toy she ever received. I was there at the time—the toy store had a unique experience where children could customize their own plush cats. They got to place a small red heart inside the toy before it was stuffed and sewn up (these steps were done by the staff). This process created a strong sense of ritual and responsibility for the children.
I found this kind of interactive design incredibly interesting and want to incorporate a similar element into my own project.
some drafts
These are some of my sketches. One idea is a drawing cat or a drawing board. I’ve seen some people online (as shown in the image below), and even myself, really enjoy drawing on plush toys—creating alternating patterns by changing the direction of the fur. This inspired me. My sister also loves drawing, and drawing itself has great play value, as it gives children complete freedom to imagine and create without limitations.
For the dolphin or unicorn plush toy, I want to focus on the customization process. I might incorporate Velcro patches so my sister can freely mix and match different patterns. Additionally, allowing her to sew a small heart inside the toy could enhance her sense of engagement and enjoyment.
This plush toy will be large enough to be a sleep companion, as my sister always needs to hug something while sleeping. I hope this toy can provide her with comfort and support in some way.
My sketches may not be very precise, and I still need to discuss my ideas further with my sister, but this is the general concept I have in mind.