What should you consider when designing a Play product?
- Austin Davis
- Jul 15
- 5 min read
Designing not only the product, but the conditions through which play can emerge
In my previous post, How Does a Person Experience Play?, I discussed how play is not contained within a toy, game, or object. Play emerges through the actions people perform, the meanings they create, and the way they engage with a situation.
This leads to an important question: What should a designer think about when creating a play product?
When designing a toy or game, it is easy to focus primarily on the product:
What should it look like?
What should it be made from?
What functions should it have?
These are important questions, but they are not enough.
A play product should not be understood only as an object. It should also be understood as something that creates opportunities for a person to enter a state of play through the actions it enables. These actions may involve imagination, experimentation, challenge, expression, discovery, construction, movement, collaboration, competition, or transformation.
The product provides the medium, but play emerges through the relationship between:
the person using it; the situation in which it is used; the actions it enables; the meaning attached to those actions; and the experience that develops through participation.
Therefore, a play designer must think not only about the product being made, but also about the Play Factors that can enable the intended playful experience.
One product can enable many Play Experiences
Consider something as simple as a ball. A ball may be rolled, bounced, thrown, caught, kicked, balanced, passed, chased, hidden, or used as an imaginary object. A child may play alone by repeatedly bouncing it against a wall. Two children may throw it back and forth. A group may introduce rules and transform the activity into a competitive game. Someone else may experiment with how the ball moves across grass, sand, concrete, or water.
The ball remains the same, but the experience changes according to:
who is using it;
where and under what conditions it is being used;
what actions the person performs;
whether rules or challenges are introduced;
whether other people participate; and
what meaning or purpose the participant gives to the activity.
The form and material of the ball make certain actions possible. Its roundness allows it to roll. Its elasticity may allow it to bounce. Its size and weight influence whether it can be grasped, thrown, kicked, balanced, or carried - These are design decisions.
The designer chooses the product’s form and material to enable certain play-leading actions; actions that can help move a person towards a state of play. However, these possibilities do not automatically become play. The participant, purpose, context, and situation transform them into an actual play experience.
This does not make the product less important. Instead, it shows why a play product must also be designed with an understanding of the Play Factors that enable the intended experience.
From an Object to a Play System
Consider the traditional Indian game of Pittu, also known as Lagori or Seven Stones in different regions. The physical objects are simple: a ball and a stack of stones or flat pieces.
However, the play experience does not come solely from these objects. It emerges from the relationships among users, actions, materials, challenges, social situations, physical settings, and rules.
Imagine that a play designer studies, adapts, or develops a Pittu-inspired set; in that case, these relationships become important. Let’s discuss a few aspects below:
Players throw and aim at the stack | A play designer examining this action would need to consider whether the intended users are physically and developmentally able to perform it. The designer would also need to understand whether aiming and throwing are actions that appeal to the target users and whether the level of difficulty is appropriate for them. |
The stack is knocked down | For this action to produce a satisfying response, the form, weight, balance, and material of the pieces must allow the stack to fall in a clear and satisfying way. If the pieces are too heavy, too light, too stable, or difficult to see, the intended response may not occur. The material and form therefore influence both the possibility of performing the action and the quality of the experience that follows. |
Players attempt to rebuild the stack | Rebuilding must be sufficiently challenging to sustain engagement, but achievable enough to prevent frustration. The designer must consider whether the size, shape, number, and balance of the pieces create an appropriate level of difficulty for the intended users. The action of rebuilding may support challenge, cooperation, urgency, coordination, or mastery, depending on how the activity is structured. |
Players chase, avoid, and move through the space | These actions may create excitement, tension, anticipation, and physical engagement. However, their suitability depends on the age, abilities, interests, and safety of the participants, as well as the space available. An open outdoor area creates a different experience from a small indoor space. The setting influences speed, visibility, communication, movement, risk, and participation. |
Players cooperate with team members and compete against another team | Cooperation and competition are commonly observed play behaviors, but they may not appeal equally to every user group. Some participants may enjoy working together towards a shared objective. Others may be motivated by competition, performance, or the opportunity to test their abilities against another team. A play designer must understand whether these social behaviors support the intended users and the experience being designed. |
Players follow agreed-upon rules and respond to a shared physical space | The rules structure the interaction by determining what participants can do, when they can act, how success is recognized, and how the activity progresses. The shared setting affects movement, communication, safety, visibility, negotiation, and participation. |
Pittu therefore emerges through the combination of:
the users; the setting and situation; the purpose; the materials and objects; the available actions; the play behaviors; the rules and mechanics; and the meanings created through participation.
This is one of the central responsibilities of a play designer: To understand how the tangible components of a play system; its objects, materials, forms, actions, rules, and setting; combine with the intangible qualities of play to produce a particular experience.
The Play Factors
A designer can begin examining a play product through five interconnected Play Factors: 1. The user 2. The setting and situation 3. The purpose and intended experience 4. The material and form 5. The play behavior, actions, and mechanics
These factors should not be treated as separate items in a checklist. A decision concerning one factor usually influences several others. The intended user influences the actions that should be made possible. The setting affects the product’s scale, material, portability, durability, and social use. The purpose determines the kind of play behavior and experience the designer may wish to support. The material and form influence which actions are possible and how those actions feel. The actions and mechanics shape how participants engage, respond, make decisions, and create meaning.
Designing a play product, therefore, involves aligning all five Play Factors.
The designer must look beyond the product as an isolated object and examine the wider relationship between what is designed, who engages with it, what they can do with it, and the kind of experience that may emerge.
In Part B, I will examine each Play Factor individually and translate it into a set of Design Inquiries to use when researching, developing, prototyping, and evaluating a play product.
Really enjoyed reading this!😄