A good way to design an engaging, playful product (especially in context of Toys and Games) is to design it in layers of Tangible and Digital experiences. Products which hold some value at every layer independently will provide longer use and higher engagement than those which constantly remain incomplete on their own and require bells and whistles to function from the start.
The best example of this theory in action is a product like Lego Boost – It is your regular construction toy with colorful bricks to begin with, and that itself is an independently fun activity. But then one could go further and use it with the visual programming app and turn the constructions into playful robotic toys. This, in my humble opinion, is a better approach to design toys and games of the future than to start with a toy that is absolutely useless without the help of technology.
Another example is this AR toy CARusel that uses a tangible car and play-mat, which is playful on its own. Then one can also use the AR app and see more details (like a Moose crossing the road or Traffic Signs). One could take this further and educate the player about environment or city waste management.
Watch CARusel demo
If you’ve seen the Spider-Man Homecoming movie, Iron Man says something remarkable, “If you’re nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it”. Often times, I see toys and games with several tech features using AR, VR, AI, IoT and such. But at the core, they may not offer any utility or playfulness, other than using tech as a gimmick. Layered Digital Tangibility Theory is my way of remembering that playful products need to achieve some purpose at every layer – at the tangibility of the actual product, and its digital enhancements.
A question we could ask as LDT Researchers, is how we can apply this idea to other aspects of learning (besides Toys and Games)? Would it help to think in terms of layers while designing curriculums or educational artifacts?
About this theory : Last year I conducted a workshop at National Institute of Design (NID) students (Masters, Toy and Game Design) on Augmented Toys. Towards the end of the workshop we were discussing how technologies will change the way toys of the future will be designed, and I expressed my concern over “Solutionism” or just introducing a technology to solve a problem that does not really exist. This is when I came up with the Layered Digital Tangibility theory, urging designers to innovate in layers. Come up with an idea, set it’s utility goals. Find the simplest way to accomplish those goals, then add layers if /when needed.