Overview
Background
Completed during my junior spring semester, this project culminated in a theatrical-style presentation where our team acted out a scenario to showcase our final toy concept. The presentation allowed us to demonstrate the product’s features, play experience, and how it aligned with Hape’s brand identity.
Objective
The objective of this project was to design an innovative toy for children ages 2–6 that aligns with Hape’s brand identity, design language, and visual style. The project focused on developing a new toy concept that encourages creativity, learning, and play while incorporating compound materials as an integral part of the play experience.
Market Research
For our market research, we explored a variety of existing toys that incorporated putty-like compounds. After an extensive process of brainstorming and narrowing down our options, we researched toys that used a missile-like launching mechanism to launch the compound and accomplish a specific task. This helped us better understand existing products and identify opportunities to develop our own unique toy concept.
Market Benchmarking
For market benchmarking, we organized the existing products into two charts based on how open-ended their play experiences were. By comparing the different products, we identified gaps in the market and opportunities to develop a unique toy concept that addressed the missing pieces.
User Testing
For our user research, my team visited an elementary school to test our prototypes with children. This experience gave us valuable insights into their preferences, how they interacted with our designs, and what could be improved. Their feedback helped us better understand our users and refine our final product to create a more engaging play experience.
Final Prototype
Packaging
For our packaging, we used Hape’s existing design language as inspiration to create a cohesive design that aligned with the brand. Choosing the appropriate colors and layout was straightforward because we had a template to follow, and Hape already had an established line of truck toys. This helped us create packaging that felt consistent with the brand’s existing products.
