Play to Learn in Product Development

In the art, music and design world, play is experimentation where mistakes are embraced rather than feared.

In Product, we can learn from this by using play as a form of experimentation and learning.

To play is to learn.

To play is to experiment.

To play is to research.

How can you play to learn in developing products?

This brings into light the importance of creativity in product development.

Creativity is like the secret sauce in cooking up awesome, innovative products. Picture this: you're brainstorming for the next big thing. It's creativity that jumps in like a superhero, helping you think way outside the box. It's all about dreaming up ideas that are as wild as unicorns but as real as your morning coffee. In today’s super-fast, techy world, where what's hot today is old news tomorrow, being creative isn't just cool – it's essential. It's what helps you invent products that not only do the job but also bring a little bit of magic into people's lives. Think of it like this – creativity is the rainbow sprinkle on your doughnut; it makes everything more fun and exciting.

And guess what? Creativity isn’t a solo gig. It loves company. When people come together, mixing all their crazy ideas and experiences, that's when the magic multiplies. Imagine a bunch of friends, lounging around, tossing ideas back and forth – that's the kind of vibe where the coolest products are born. It's about making stuff that not only works great but also makes people say, "Wow, why didn’t I think of that?" This friendly, creative buzz is what keeps businesses on their toes, always ready to wow their customers with products that hit the sweet spot between "amazingly useful" and "awesomely different." So, in the end, creativity isn't just about having fun; it's the secret ingredient that helps businesses stay fresh, relevant, and super connected with what people really want.

Play is the highest form of research, it means trying something to find it if works or not and learning why it did or didnt’ work.

In product development, where would this fit in?

I see this as most relevant in creating engaging research techniques, prototyping and playing with the possibilities of what the end product may be through ideation.

In the past, I’ve used playful and engaging methods to keep participants interested in what could be some pretty dry research topics.

In one research study, I used post-it notes in different combinations to generate different discussions. This meant that the participants had to think creatively but also had a different prompt other than a research question.

There is so much potential for play in prototyping. This has been shown in prototyping methods such as LEGO prototyping but let’s not stop there, we could use cardboard, paper, scissors, sharpies and glue and create interactive mobile or web prototypes. We could even use straws and plasticine to create models for life sciences or bio-engineering possibilities to bring to life complex ideas. There are role-play methods that are used in service design where researchers or team members may act out parts of the service journey map, to bring to life a process or blueprint of a service.

Ideation can be made fun by using a whole range of techniques from sketching to brain writing, where ideas are written down and built upon when rotated around a group.

It’s a mindset that can be applied to Lean Experimentation to be curious to find out if something works where it’s an early, prototype stage. We can pose a hypothesis: Will X work? Why? Why do we think it will or won’t? Then set up an experiment and wait to see the results. The magic about Lean Experimentation is that they can be quick and cheap to set up but also part of what you’re doing anyway such as setting up a marketing campaign but having that inquisitive mindset but structuring it in a way where something is being tested so we can learn.

Summary

Play may sound like something that is for children, but it can be a way to make research, experiments and testing fun and engaging for participants and stakeholders.

Further reading

https://www.invisionapp.com/inside-design/design-prototyping-play/

https://tova-design.com/start-small/2019/3/30/a-guide-to-role-play-prototyping-and-why-its-awesome