#2
CASE STUDY
Designing narrative play through character-driven environments
This playset was designed as a familiar, miniature journey for young children — inspired by everyday experiences like navigating a shopping mall car park.
From controlling the elevator to bringing the Wheelies vehicle up to the upper level, children are guided through a simple, intuitive sequence of actions. Along the way, familiar touchpoints such as a car wash, a self-serve gas station, and a gently sloped parking area introduce cause-and-effect play while reinforcing real-world routines.
By translating everyday environments into a playful, character-scale world, the design encourages storytelling, role play, and repeatable play loops that feel natural even without instructions.
Little People® Wheelies™ Garage
My Role:
Concept development, play pattern design, character integration, factory-ready control drawings, and cross-functional collaboration with engineering and marketing teams
The core intent was to recreate a familiar environment — a parking garage — at a scale and complexity appropriate for toddlers, allowing children to feel in control of a complete journey.
1. Design Intent: A Familiar Journey at Child Scale
2. Play Journey & Flow
Each feature was designed to naturally lead to the next, creating a continuous loop that encourages repetition without frustration.
Interactive elements such as the elevator and sloped parking surface introduce simple cause-and-effect moments, supporting fine motor development while keeping play intuitive.
Throughout development, design decisions were iterated through sampling and factory feedback to ensure a balance between play value, safety standards, cost targets, and manufacturability.
The proportions between characters, vehicles, and architecture were carefully balanced to reinforce the child’s sense of role-play — placing the Little People character at the center of every interaction.
3. Cause-and-Effect & Motor Skill Engagement
4. Character-Driven World Building
5. Validation in Final Product
Many of these design decisions were later reflected in the product’s final positioning, highlighting features such as the elevator, car wash, and take-along play as key value drivers.
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