Designed a open-ended toy as my first toy design project. The design stage lasted 3 weeks with several play tests with 2 age groups of 2-3 preschool kids and 3-6 kindergarten kids. This project took me deeper into kid world and gained insights from engaging, observing and interating in the play.
By linking and connecting these adaptable pieces, kids can unleash their imagination, transforming everyday items into elements of their inventive games.
Prepare a hook and ring
Pass one end through
Pass another end through
Now they are hooked!
Try pulling them~
The toys are designed to be soft, elastic and colorful. Children gain sensory development through touch and color coded play experiences.
The connectivity of the toy allows children to create the tools they want, based on their needs.
The hook mechanism gives children a strong desire to connect more and stack higher. They can build ambitious projects!
Children can play with this toy together to create their own play style.
They made a bungee cord to bump into each other quickly.
This rope-like thing became the tail of her car.
At this time she is knitting a necklace for herself.
These kids are playing together to explore this new toy.
"The colors are beautiful and I like to connect one color by another. And I can make many many toys if I want!"
"I like that the toys hook together securely. Meanwhile this toy can be played with a lot of older toys that the kids don’t play with anymore, which is great!"
"This toy looks unique and has a high degree of freedom, which is really amazing in terms of design. Developing some play examples if sell them."
"This toy is great, not only does it come in colors that kids like, but it can also be used to play games in our daycare. I think it also has a good effect on opening up the mind and training the senses."
How to design an open-ended toy for play was the first thing in brainstorming.ame ut, it was a scene where kids connect the toy(everywhere) in the room — I like the mess they make in the play. Therefore, designing a toy that kids can connect to create in their play became the design objective.
The biggest challenge was designing a way for soft materials to connect securely. After I discovered silicone as a material that fascinated me, I began spending a lot of time studying different forms. Once I first figured out the shape of the hook (which is almost the same as the current design), I found that it could only be hooked very carefully, and the kids wouldn't like it. After a long iteration I ended up using a ring so that when the hook is pulled through it can be tightened to create a secure connection. The process is very tedious, you can understand the design process by viewing this document.
Participant Play Test
In the test group of 4-6 years old, they like to share the process of creation and stories. In the test, children will combine familiar play scenes, such as play rooms or parks, and connect toy parts to make and create new games. Once this new toy is created, they may use it to interact with other children or engage in story-based and imaginative play. Therefore, they are willing to spend a certain amount of time thinking about how to design new toys, such as color, shape, length, etc. Among younger groups, the gameplay seems simpler. They show a fascination with elastic materials and like to hold them in their hands or throw them. At the same time, they like to repeat simple actions, such as putting a toy on their head and taking it off again, but this has nothing to do with the toy.
Observation
From the observation results, the play of younger test children mainly revolves around the color and material of toys, and they need to be under the guidance of adults to handle complex connecting hooks. Older children show a more creative side when they have cognitive and coordination abilities. They will create something in conjunction with a story, or just create an object to create a new way to play.
