The Challenge
Creating a pitch for a LEGO mobile app that unified their digital presence, blending physical play with digital engagement while staying true to the brand's creativity and magic.
Set Up
- Three UX/UI Designers (me leading the strategy of the project)
- Project manager
- Engineering lead (consulting role)
Results
Delivered an interactive prototype and a polished presentation video in After Effects to showcase the UX vision. Developed a clear launch plan and received enthusiastic feedback from LEGO stakeholders for aligning with their mission to inspire builders of tomorrow.
Introduction.
In a collaborative effort, I had the pleasure of contributing to a design initiative for LEGO, with a focus on harmonising the online and in-store experience for LEGO enthusiasts. Our goal was to elevate user engagement and streamline the shopping journey, crafting an immersive LEGO universe that brings together community, play, and convenience.
We envisioned the LEGO App as a hub for LEGO fans to connect, share creations, shop, and get inspired. Our design aimed to answer two pivotal questions:
- How can we merge LEGO’s various apps into a single, all-encompassing experience?
- How can we infuse the in-store experience with the same playful essence that LEGO embodies?
Kick-off.
The project began with a clear mission: to consolidate LEGO’s scattered digital landscape into a cohesive platform that bridged physical and digital play. I focused on ensuring the proposed solutions captured the unique LEGO magic, resonating deeply with their diverse audience.
My contributions included:
- Gathering Insights: I conducted and analysed user interviews and surveys, extracting actionable insights about how customers perceive LEGO’s in-store and digital experiences. This research helped me identify gaps, such as the need for more seamless integration between physical builds and digital storytelling.
- Persona Development: I facilitated a Persona Workshop, where I created detailed personas based on research findings. For example, I defined profiles for families seeking collaborative play and AFOLs(Adult Fan of Lego) desiring advanced customization tools.
- Customer Journey Mapping: I led the mapping of customer journeys, uncovering key pain points like difficulty in visualising finished sets in-store and missed opportunities for personalized engagement.
- Value Proposition Alignment: I ensured every solution directly tied back to LEGO’s core values of creativity and innovation, focusing on enhancing the tactile joy of building while integrating meaningful digital elements.
The sentiment driving this effort was to create a unified experience that brought LEGO’s physical and digital offerings together in a way that felt natural and magical to users.
Working through various ideas about the mobile app
Research & Discovery.
Key Insights: From the research, I identified:
- Immersive and interactive experiences that go beyond traditional shopping resonate most with customers.
- None of the competitors had their own mobile app, e.g Mattel, Hasbro
- Families and children value collaborative activities, while AFOLs seek opportunities for individual creativity.
- Digital integrations should enhance, not detract from, the tactile joy of building with LEGO bricks.
Following the research and post-workshop, we sketched out the LEGO app’s blueprint. Each team member pitched in, drafting wireframes and brainstorming features like the “LEGO avatar” to boost user interaction.
Our vision was to spark the joy of LEGO in every tap and swipe. Most important features were:
- Element of gamification and
- personal touches to resonate with the LEGO spirit.
Drawing from each concept, we blended the best parts to create an all-in-one app, which offered personalised assistance and echoed the delight of visiting a LEGO store, delivering a unified digital and physical LEGO adventure.
Wireframes of PDP
LEGOish UI
Bring It All Together.
My Contributions
In addition to leading the research and strategy, I specifically took ownership of the following areas:
- Onboarding Experience: I envisioned and designed an onboarding process that captured LEGO’s playful spirit. This included interactive, LEGO-themed animations and a step-by-step guide that introduced users to the platform while fostering excitement.
- Personalisation Features: I developed concepts for personalised recommendations based on user preferences and past activity.
- My Account Section: I designed a user-friendly My Account interface, focusing on accessibility and ease of navigation. By incorporating LEGO-inspired elements, such as custom avatars and progress trackers for builds, I ensured the section was functional and engaging.
Onboarding Screen Examples
Final Screens: Basket, Receipts, Empty Wishlist and My account Section
Augmented Reality (AR) Displays
Developed AR features to visualise completed LEGO sets in 3D and to bring custom LEGO builds “to life” on digital displays. I designed user flows and validated them with stakeholders.
LEGO builds come to life with in-store AR!
LEGO elements across UI
We incorporated signature LEGO elements, such as brick-inspired buttons, modular layouts, and playful micro-interactions, into the UI design. This ensured the digital experience remained deeply connected to LEGO’s physical brand identity, enhancing engagement and creating a seamless blend of physical and digital play.
Final screens of:Onboarding, Shipping address, Wishlist and Promotion pages
Outcome & Learnings.
Outcomes
- The pitch received enthusiastic feedback from LEGO’s team, who praised the clarity and creativity of the prototypes.
- My After Effects presentation video effectively showcased the mobile app experience to LEGO stakeholders.
- The concepts were recognised for their strong alignment with LEGO’s mission to inspire builders of tomorrow.
- The pitch laid the groundwork for NN4M’s future collaboration with LEGO, even though I had moved on from the company before the next steps.
Learnings
- Balancing physical and digital elements is key to creating engaging retail experiences.
- Detailed prototyping and storytelling are critical for effectively communicating conceptual ideas in pitches.
- Deep alignment with a brand’s core values ensures that proposed solutions feel authentic and impactful.
Other projects
Find out more projects that I have worked on
