DIS x LEGO
A Study of How the LEGO Product Cultivates Curiosity in Adults and Corporate Teams
Cognitive Research
Overview
Project
While studying abroad in Copenhagen, I was selected as one of four research assistants to work under Professor Mette Fransen on her ongoing research project, "How can Imagination Change the World?" Throughout the semester, my cohort of RAs collaborated with LEGO to conduct cognitive science research for their experiential product, "LEGO Serious Play."
Question
How does LEGO Serious Play influence exploratory behavior and curiosity in adults, and what product-level changes could better support these behaviors?
Impact
Recommendations resulted in 3 features being incorporated to increase inclusivity and collaborative play in the next model of LEGO Serious Play
Process
Literary Research
We began by doing a deep literary analysis of over 41 academic sources. We honed in on "A More Beautiful Question" and "The Creative Act: A Way of Being" to build our research question.
Focus Groups and Behavioral Studies
We paired 20 participants, gave them a LEGO set, and evaluated their behavior, noting how the product affected their ability to think and act creatively.
Field Visits
Throughout the semester, we took regular visits to the LEGO headquarters in Billund, Denmark, to both examine LEGO play on a larger scale, and also meet with LEGO product leaders and researchers.
Questionstorming
Prompts we investigated in focus groups, interviews, and discussions with LEGO
Findings
Additional Data
Over the course of the semester, we gathered an abundance of useful data for LEGO. We turned all of this insight into a research report, product implementation proposal, and oral research presentation to present to not only the LEGO team, but to 1500+ visitors at the DIS Research Festival.
Product Implementation Suggestions
Synthesis Insight: LEGO Serious Play cultivates curiosity in adults primarily through embodied, metaphor-driven exploration that reduces inhibition and precedes conscious awareness of curiosity itself.
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