Sneak Peek & PLAY
Design for Toy Waste

A constructable Bioscope play kit, which is used to educate about the toy waste and the toy library through visual storytelling.

Play

Education

Awareness

This project was a year long honours project which focused on designing to reduce toy waste in Australia. It focused on promoting awareness about Toy Libraries among people.
The project consisted of a constructable Bioscope play kit, which was used to educate about the toy waste and the toy library through visual storytelling.

The project has three outcomes including -

1. Constructible Bioscope kit 2. Instruction manual 3. Storyboard

Skills Used: Desk & user research, brainstorming, journey mapping, interviews & surveys, site visit, idea scoping, competitor analysis, product sketching, 3D modelling (SolidWorks, Fusion 360), technical drawings, rendering (Keyshot), photoshop, idea proposal, prototyping, laser cutting & etching, woodwork, mechanism learning, graphic designing, storyboard creation, service design, validation & testing, presentation, written & verbal communication.

The Problem

Toys bring joy, yet their impact is fleeting—lasting only as long as a child's interest. Research reveals that roughly 80% of toys end up in landfills, incinerators, or oceans after a mere 6 months of use.

Meaning Toy Industry follows a Linear Economy

An existing initiative to promote circular economy in toys is, Toy libraries.

However, it lacks education & awareness.

Design Process

Final Prototyping

Wood working

Dowels

Measurments

Drilling hole

Mechanism trial 1

Mechanism trial 2

Bach side of mechanism

Refinement

Testing pieces together

Inside of the Bioscope

Refinement 2

Refined Dowels

Gears

Refinement 3

Laser cutting

Laser cut pieces

Legs

Inner structure

Reel mechanism

Final Prototype

Our Solution

Target Audience

Age group – 5-8+ years

Where - Parks, malls, kid's fairs and festivals

The design outcome has two phases to it. First phase consists of delivering a constructable play kit to the toy libraries where kids are involved in constructing the bioscope. The second phase includes toy librarians taking the mobile bioscope around and using it to educate about the toy waste and the toy library through visual storytelling and talking to parents.

The design solution consists of 3 components namely, bioscope, instruction manual and illustrated storyboard -

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1. Bioscope Kit

The Bioscope kit consists of 32 flat wooden colorful pieces which can be assembled and dismantled for endless play opportunity.

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2. Instructional Manual

The Instructional manual guides the kids in constructing the Bioscope. The booklet has been divided into constructing 4 main components which have been colour coded for constructional ease.

3. Illustrated Storyboard

The Illustrated storyboard consists of 14 frames which helps in making kids aware about the toy waste and motivates them to use toy libraries through a boy's story.