How LEGO’s Empowered Teams Overcame a Design Challenge
If you’re curious about the world of product design, industry case studies are like a sneak peek behind the curtain. They give you insight into how teams collaborate and the ups and downs of the design process. And boy, do we have a treat for you! This case study takes a closer look at LEGO’s workflow and how their empowered teams overcame a design challenge.
Who is LEGO?
This 89-year-old Danish company is the king of interlocking plastic bricks and the sixth-largest toy-making company in the world. With retail stores all over Europe, America, and Asia, and their very own amusement parks (Legoland), LEGO is a household name for kids and adults alike.
Design is at the heart of everything LEGO does. They’re constantly working hard and conducting research to create the most innovative products that will help invent the future of play. And how do they do it? By following a continuous cycle of innovation, testing, and learning. LEGO employees are always on their toes, making sure that they’re building the best play experiences for their customers. So grab your bricks and get ready to be amazed by LEGO’s UX workflow!
In 2004, the company created the Design for Business (D4B) model. This model provided a unique management process, allowing for design and innovation to be more holistically integrated into the organization. Understanding the user’s goals and helping them reach them faster in a more enjoyable way that brings them pleasure by using the product.
LEGO’s Workflow
In early 2018 when Lego was delivering a lot of projects and could not assign any resource 100% to projects for months, LEGO Group launched an Agile transformation of its corporate digital departments.
LEGO shifted to the Scaled Agile Framework, commonly abbreviated as SAFe, a solution that helps companies in scaling agile and lean approaches across the enterprise. SAFe is very similar to Agile although it encompasses Scrum and Kanban.
Currently, Lego uses Agile + Lean UX workflow with design thinking. Successful features from the projects and products delivered (common backlog) are selected, which are then fine-tuned to get the basic components of design.
Further incremental iterations increase the quality and quantity of the components. Teams independently use Design sprints when needed. The pattern is to “Plan a cadence, release on demand”. The first release would need adjustments but not a lot of resources are spent early on to finalize the product. The MVPs help in testing and optimizing the design.
Design sprints at LEGO
- The design sprint is a five-day iterative process for answering critical business questions through design, rapid design prototyping, and testing ideas.
- LEGO was one of the first companies to implement Design Sprints and has done up to 150 sprints already. The output for one sprint is used as input for another in the following week, which accelerates and simplifies the design process of a digital product.
- Each month they have a meeting-free week set aside specifically to run sprints, and the creative teams do it twice a month with 14000 employees worldwide.
Case study — Delivery app for instore customers
The Problem:
Customers typically deal with the issue where they are in-store browsing for products and find that either a product is out of stock, the box is too large to take home, some cases might get put off at long queues or are with their kids and want to make a discreet purchase.
The goal of this project was to improve the in-store customer experience by creating an app that allows you to purchase an item for delivery, using research to inform the design.
Proposed Idea:
An iPad app called “LISA” for the store staff of LEGO, to assist customers to purchase an item in-store for delivery.
Collaboration Design Squad
Cross-functional teams work together to solve the problem. Head of Retail Operations, Programme Manager, UX Director, UX Manager, Business Analyst, 6 Developers, and a Senior UX/UI Designer.
UX Research
Current in-store experiences were observed at Leicester Square in the UK.
- The store was quite big with many large-scale LEGO builds, showcasing different themes.
- Both floors had tills to handle sales, but these systems were very old and needed to be updated.
- The signup to the VIP loyalty program was done via an erasable laminate sheet of paper which customers would use to write their details on for later input into the LEGO system.
- There was also a Pick a Brick area where customers can buy separate pieces in bulk & a LEGO Self Portrait machine that 3D prints your portrait.
In-direct competitor analysis:
Observing in-store experiences including Apple store & Nike stores. Almost every employee had an iPhone or iPad mini on them ready to help customers with their purchases, booking, tracking & communication.
Customer & Business Requirements review:
The head of retail operations and Business analysts helped in breaking down the requirements and prioritizing them for design and development.
UX design
Developing Sitemap and flow diagrams
With sitemaps and flow diagrams, it is much easier to understand ways in which users interact with apps and websites, and the steps they take to complete a task or accomplish a goal. This helps create a more positive user experience for the user and efficiently addresses stakeholder needs.
Creating wireframes
Low fidelity sketch of the UI helps in visualizing requirements and getting everyone on the same page early on. High Fidelity Wireframes convey the main features, functions, and content of a user interface, without getting into the visual design.
Prototyping and testing
Tools used: Sketch & InVision. The app was prototyped, and multiple iterations were tested with the LEGO store staff and managers. The feedback received was then used to improve the usability of the app. The app was also tested with LEGO employees at the London head office.
UX Sign-off & Documentation
After signing off the UX, the prototypes were demonstrated to the entire development team, creating transparency and clarity about the design decisions.
UI design with LEGO brand guidelines
Inputs from various departments and teams were used for the UI design, while constantly iterating and improving the UI.
Release iteration
The app was developed and delivered in three phases. The feedback from each phase was fed to the next to iterate on design solutions in a Lean UX fashion. The developers continue building new features and will continue to release new versions of the app as soon as they are ready.
LEGO’s approach to product design serves as an excellent example of how companies can prioritize innovation and user-centered design to create products that truly delight their customers. By empowering their teams and creating a culture of experimentation, LEGO is well-positioned to continue inventing the future of play for years to come.
