Lego Serious Play

Why & When

With Lego can be a tool in a design thinking approch to prototype research ideas, haptically test setups and explore team settings and interactions. Originating in management, Lego serious play can be used in any sort of research setting, and is suitable for disciplinary design settings yet particularly helpful in transdisciplinary research modes. The strength of Lego serious play lies in group settings, where Lego can serve as a boundary object to allow team members to interact, allowing for a reflexive interaction. Plainly speaking, Lego is a toy that helps you in an initial research process.

Goal(s)

Lego serious play can be seen more as a way and not a goal. The goal can be bluntly put to enable people to interact about research. Research designs, workshop setting and the architecture of larger projects can be designed using Lego play. The goal to this end is not so much the final Lego model, but more the way that leads to it. Lego is playful, many remember it from childhood, and it can trigger people to challenge their assumptions. Through the haptic interaction are people enabled to interact more than if they would be just talking. The structure of Lego can help to structure the research. Lego can be this used as a catalyst for a team to develop research together.

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