Mock NEA

Context: Toys

Dharm Gajjar 10B

Initial Thoughts
The context that has been provided to us is very Potential Design Briefs
broad, a large range of ideas can come through. A storage unit that can store a wide range of toys, books
However a limitation to this is the demographic and essentials for kids.
because the sole user of these toys are children and A foldable toy - eg. A foldable mini figure or a foldable
the fact that the market of toys constantly varies in game board
needs and wants A toy that’s alluring and interesting so that children do
Toys tend to fuel imagination and creativity in not lose interest in them as quickly
children and can also be used for educational
purposes Client Availability - 8/10
Toys generally keep children busy and entertained The toy market is a large market with a lot of client
but not for long because children tend to shift their availability since toys have an inevitable and universal
focus and concentration very quickly demand from almost every child. However the popularity
They enhance a child’s creativity and imagination. of gadgets has decreased the size of the market and the
Toys such as Legos enable them to create what client availability for toys
they want out of them. Design Possibilities - 7/10
Even though the market for toys is aimed at There are still some gaps to be filled in the toy industry,
children and is rather narrow, adults do tend to use the possibilities of a new toy is quite difficult since the
them such as card games like Uno or Monopoly market for toys is massive with numerous types of toys.
When considering design ideas for Toys, we must
assess the safety of the product and whether it suits
the target market’s needs and wants. Since the target
market is children, they will often have no idea
what’s right or wrong for them which could be a
hazard e.g ingesting small parts.

Issues in the Toy Market

In the Mind map above, I have decided to touch upon 5 key issues with toys: Durability, Safety, Popularity of Gadgets, Storage and Losing interest quickly. This is because some issues such as safety and durability are often considered extensively but some issues such as
the popularity of gadgets, storage and losing interest quickly are neglected in the design process. I think that these 3 issues should be considered highly during the design process because these are also quite major issues in the toy industry that can have a large impact on
the consumer.

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Identifying Issues/Solutions in the real world 2. Space in toy Storage Units 5. The popularity of devices
Storage Units exist but there The popularity of gadgets itself is a major real world issue in the toy market. The
aren’t any storage units specifically Appeal of things such as smartphones, laptops and video games has decreased
made for toys. For example, the toy the demand for toys such as dolls and cars. This also has a negative impact on
We can apply the issues that were stated previously into a real world scenario which will help us The wellbeing of children as these gadgets put a strain on their eyes, affect their
to identify any possible flaws in products that I could work on or any possible solutions which I storage unit on the right doesn’t have any
space for mini figures or toy cars to put on brains and give them sleeping issues
could implement into my own design
These issues will touch upon the 5 issues I identified earlier which were Durability, Safety, Losing display.
interest quickly, Storage and the popularity of gadgets

However the toy storage unit on the right does indeed have
space for mini figures and cars but it doesn’t have space for
books or large dolls. There is no optimum space for children
to keep all of their toys which leads to them creating a big
mess on the floor which can injure people

1. Broken Wheels 3. The Safety of Electric Toys

Personally, in my childhood Electric toys have become very popular recently, with moving figures , RC cars
I had lots of issues with etc. However, any electric item has many risks associated with it. These are the
Broken toys and as a child, risk of electrocution and the risk of overheating hence burns.
It made me frustrated.
Making a toy durable
enough is essential especially for children because they tend to have strange
behavioural patterns and can throw tantrums because they’ve broken their toy.
However all appliances with plugs have
an earth wire which prevents shock by
sending excessive current to the
ground if there is a fault
However, Hot Wheels cars are generally very durable because they are made of die-cast or metal.
The use of these materials generally makes these cars extremely durable and can solve the problem
of keeping children entertained and ensuring they do not lose interest quickly as soon as they have
broken their toy.

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A die cast McLaren 720s
 Client Interview
This interview was of a 9 year old girl, a close friend of my sister’s.This interview touched upon many aspects that concerned my research. It also helped meto understand the consumer of these toys
closer and based upon this information, I could possibly implement these ideas into my design.

What is your favourite toy?

- “My favourite toy was play dough because you can create different animals, objects and it relieves stress. You’ll never get bored of it unless it dries.”
What is your least favourite toy?
- “Barbies because they have no educational value and is a waste of time. You don’t gain any skills from it.”
What’s the ideal price for a toy?
- “$15-$20.”
What’s your opinion on devices?
- “I like them because they are a good way relieve boredom and stress. However, there are many issues with them because of the effect it has on us.”
Do you have a place to keep all of your toys and is this place organised?
- “I do have a place to keep my toys but its not organised.”
Have you faced any injuries from toys?
- “Yes, when I stepped on Legos.”
What are your opinion on fidget toys?
- “They are amazing, the best source for stress relief. However they do get boring over time.”
What’s your main problem with toys?
- “They aren’t educational, they need to provide more skills.”

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Mood Board Work Of Others
In 1968, Elliot Handler, co-founder of Mattel, decided to produce a line of die-cast toy cars for boys. He
named these toy cars “Hot-Wheels.” This turned out to be a huge success.

Fidget spinners became trending toys in 2017, although similar devices had been invented as early as 1993. Catherine Hettinger is
often credited as the inventor of fidget spinners. She came out with the idea for the spinning toy back in 1993, but her original
prototype was rejected by Hasbro.

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Aesthetics - The board, cards and tokens
look appealing to children because they
tend to be characters or items that
children are attracted to alongside having
bright colours to allure children further
Cost - This particular Disney
variant of the game costs £34.99
from Disney. However this price
can vary with other retailers.
Generally, this is expensive for a
toy.
Customer - The attractive and
colourful design of the elements of
the game draws the attention of
children hence the market of this
will most likely be children. The
potential buyer will be an adult and
the alluring design of the product
makes it a good choice for parents
to keep them and their children
entertained since Monopoly is a
family game
Environment - Monopoly have recently
came out with a new eco-friendly edition
of their game which uses 100% recycled
paper and plant-based-plastic. The game
also promotes being eco friendly by
investing in making property eco-friendly
which sends out a positive message to
players
Existing Product Analysis
Materials - The board is made from
paper and/or cloth fibres. The game
pieces are made from plastic. The
money and the property cards are also
made from paper
Functionality - Monopoly is a real-estate
board game for two to eight players. The
player's objective is to maintain their
financial stability while driving other
players into bankruptcy by purchasing
and developing property. Bankruptcy
results in removal from the game. The
winner is the last player remaining on the
board.
Safety - The game-pieces can be
potential choking hazards hence
recommended for kids aged 8+. The
board is made by thick card and is
rounded off to remove sharp edges and
prevent cuts
Size - The standard Monopoly board
size is 20x20 inches. This makes it
suitable to play on standard tables
and suitable for many players to play
at once
Aesthetics - The laminated wood and
white plastic make it seem very
minimalist and clean. It looks very
organised and will hopefully encourage
children to tidy up
Materials - The wooden support is
made from MDF with a wood grain
finish. The storage bins are made
from plastic
Cost - This storage unit costs £45
at Dunelm making it quite price
friendly for a storage unit
Functionality - The toy storage unit is
designed to store a variety of things that
Customer - The sleek and compact children use in their day-to-day lives.
design of this toy storage unit There are nine storage bins, each big
makes it viable for small enough to accommodate toys, books and
households whilst providing a neat more. The rounded edges make it easy for
and minimalist look. The customer little hands to grab what they need. The
for this would be parents with kids wood grain finish gives it a subtle and a
that have a lot of toys and would minimalist look
wish to arrange these toys neatly
without taking up too much space
in the house.
Size - The storage unit contains 9
Environment - The storage unit is Safety - All elements of this storage storage bins with enough space to fit
made from MDF and plastic. These unit are rounded off to prevent any cuts toys, books and more. The
two materials have a negative impact or injuries especially because the users dimensions are as follow: H 60cm x
on the environment because they aren’t will be children. The rounded also W 63cm x D 30cm.
biodegradable or recyclable make it easier for the children to get a
grip of the plastic boxes
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Design Brief and Design Specification
Design Brief D
esi
From my client interview, I can gn
see that most children, Sp
including me have many issues ec
with the storage of toys and ifi
figuring out where to keep
them. According to my user ca
analysis, I can also see that 80% tio
of adults with 2 or more n
children have problems with
storing their toys in a neat, safe
and organised place.
There are many problems that
are linked to the storage of toys
especially for small
households with minimal space
for storage of their children’s
toys.
Therefore, I will design a
storage unit dedicated for
different types of toys. This
product must be compact,
durable and organised, which
is the main aim. It must also
allow easy access to toys
especially for little children
with short heights and hand
sizes. The product consumer are
parents aiming to encourage
their children to be tidy. The
users of this product will be
children aged 4-10 because this
is the age group that generally
plays and utilises toys the most

B
 C
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This design is based on a dollhouse to
allure children to organise and tidy up
their toys
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often This design is essentially a play table that also
4
ea has dedicated storage for books, cars , dolls etc.
ssI 3 This is a rotating storage unit that swivels for
ha easy access to children
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ofThis design is based on a truck with I found this design rather interesting as this is a large
evdifferent compartments in order to allure car with storage for small cars. It has a removable This is a design I am really fond of. It is essentially a stool with
body for access to the storage compartments. It is storage underneath it. It has a lid you can take off and when the
alchildren to tidy up also portable. lid is on, you can use it as a stool
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tio 7
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de This design is a car based storage unit with storage in the
sc This design was based on lego and it is a compartment for legos. You bonnet and storage in the boot to make it more realistic and
can also connect these compartments with other compartments and interesting for children
rib join them together
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9 pr
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D
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After having generated 9 concept ideas, I then chose 4 to progress further in development and analyse the Aesthetics, Function and innovation

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