Rather than concealing its new innovations inside its Creative Play Lab, LEGO announced a new strategic approach that will help foster open innovation and test ideas and concept experiences through pilot projects, the first being LEGO FORMA on Indiegogo.
A series of pilots are being planned to run in various locations and formats over the coming year to float new ideas, crowdsource others, and receive real-time feedback from consumers to evaluate whether concepts should be developed and scaled.
Over time, this more transparent approach to product development is hoped to de-risk and accelerate innovation by validating and iterating new ideas, helping to fast-track the time that new products go to market and not least to pave way for unique product launches that sit outside normal procedures and reach new audiences.
The first of these pilots is a collaboration with Indiegogo, where an entirely new product, LEGO FORMA, will be tested among a 10 million strong community of early adopters, entrepreneurs, makers and creatives on Indiegogo’s online platform.
The fertile ground of Indiegogo will be used to provide real-time insights and real-world validation of LEGO FORMA, which is a model based on the LEGO Technic building system designed for adults looking for creative activities. Inspired by nature, LEGO FORMA aspires to be a new theme where you can customize with different ‘skins’ – foil sheets – to create artistic interpretations of plants and animals.
Kari Vinther, Senior Marketing Manager and Head of Creative Play Lab Pilots Says: “LEGO FORMA is more of a creative project than a toy and more about display than play. The young adults we speak to tell us they still feel the urge to be creative and enjoy the physical experience of making stuff – but life seems to get in the way.”
“We want to help them rediscover the joy of building that children possess and unleash their imaginations for a couple of hours. We can’t wait to hear what people think and look forward to sharing some of the decisions that will be made along the journey based on consumer input.”
The product launches with one model of a fish with a variety of skins available, so it can change color, species and even take on entirely new forms, unleashing the creativity of the maker. The model takes a couple of hours to complete and helps adults reconnect with their innate urge to be creative and encourages recreational time.
Created as a limited short-run batch only, the pilot is primarily designed to learn whether there is an appetite and market for the product, more so than driving revenue.
The base set, labeled the 81000 Koi Model, is priced at $45 USD and includes 294 pieces in total. Meanwhile, there are also three different skins you can purchase for $15 USD each which will offer your creation a new look and the opportunity to rebuild, which is always fun. Currently, the three skins available include a Shark skin, Splash Koi skin, and an Ink Koi skin which is the perfect option for those who want to customize its look all on their own. There’s also a bundle which includes the base Koi model along with the three skins at a discounted price of $85 USD.