LEGO: Designing Play That Works for Everyone
LEGO: Designing Play That Works for Everyone
Overview
Overview
A mobile app extension that adapts LEGO’s digital building experience for users with color-vision deficiencies—without breaking the joy of play.
A mobile app extension that adapts LEGO’s digital building experience for users with color-vision deficiencies—without breaking the joy of play.
role
role
UX Designer
Product Designer
Strategist
UX Designer
Product Designer
Strategist
tools
tools
Figma
Canva
Adobe Premiere
Figma
Canva
Adobe Premiere
focus
focus
Accessibility Inclusive Design
Accessibility Inclusive Design
platform
platform
Mobile App Extension
Mobile App Extension
THE CASE STUDY
THE CASE STUDY
LEGO Builder App — Color-Blind Accessibility Extension
LEGO Builder App — Color-Blind Accessibility Extension
A mobile app extension that adapts LEGO’s digital building experience for users with color-vision deficiencies—without breaking the joy of play.
A mobile app extension that adapts LEGO’s digital building experience for users with color-vision deficiencies—without breaking the joy of play.
Research & Scale
Research & Scale
The pain isn’t just confusion — it’s uncertainty.
The pain isn’t just confusion — it’s uncertainty.
Social Listening on Reddit
Social Listening on Reddit
An Invisible Barrier in a World of Color
An Invisible Barrier in a World of Color
Color is central to the LEGO building experience. Instructions rely heavily on hue to distinguish pieces, guide steps, and signal progress. For millions of builders with color vision deficiencies, this creates friction that often goes unnoticed.
Color is central to the LEGO building experience. Instructions rely heavily on hue to distinguish pieces, guide steps, and signal progress. For millions of builders with color vision deficiencies, this creates friction that often goes unnoticed.
1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women experience some form of color blindness — roughly 300 million people worldwide. Yet many never seek diagnosis because they’ve “always seen this way.” They adapt quietly.
1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women experience some form of color blindness — roughly 300 million people worldwide. Yet many never seek diagnosis because they’ve “always seen this way.” They adapt quietly.
When play depends on color, adaptation becomes exclusion.
When play depends on color, adaptation becomes exclusion.
Why Lego?
A Brand That Believes in Inclusion
A Brand That Believes in Inclusion
LEGO has a long history of thoughtful inclusion, from Braille Bricks to initiatives supporting diverse builders. But social listening reveals a gap: colorblind fans routinely express frustration that instructions and pieces rely too heavily on hue, not form.
While accessibility exists in some physical sets, the LEGO Builder app — a growing part of the brand experience — lacks features to support builders with color vision deficiencies.
In a brand built on creativity, inclusion should exist everywhere.
LEGO has a long history of thoughtful inclusion, from Braille Bricks to initiatives supporting diverse builders. But social listening reveals a gap: colorblind fans routinely express frustration that instructions and pieces rely too heavily on hue, not form.
While accessibility exists in some physical sets, the LEGO Builder app — a growing part of the brand experience — lacks features to support builders with color vision deficiencies.
In a brand built on creativity, inclusion should exist everywhere.
The Problem
The Problem
The LEGO Building process relies heavily on color to distinguish pieces and instructions, making it difficult for colorblind users to participate fully.
The LEGO Building process relies heavily on color to distinguish pieces and instructions, making it difficult for colorblind users to participate fully.
The Solution
The Solution
An accessibility layer that adds alternative visual cues to make the experience more intuitive and inclusive for all builders.
An accessibility layer that adds alternative visual cues to make the experience more intuitive and inclusive for all builders.
Execution
Exploration & Iteration
Exploration & Iteration
An Accessibility Layer Inside the LEGO Builder App
An Accessibility Layer Inside the LEGO Builder App
Rather than redesigning physical sets, the solution lives inside the LEGO Builder app — the fastest and most scalable path to change.
This accessibility layer introduces alternative visual cues beyond color, helping builders distinguish pieces clearly and confidently.
Technology enables real-time interpretation and guidance, allowing the experience to adapt to the user — not the other way around.
Accessibility should not be limited to select products. It should be embedded into the ecosystem.
Rather than redesigning physical sets, the solution lives inside the LEGO Builder app — the fastest and most scalable path to change.
This accessibility layer introduces alternative visual cues beyond color, helping builders distinguish pieces clearly and confidently.
Technology enables real-time interpretation and guidance, allowing the experience to adapt to the user — not the other way around.
Accessibility should not be limited to select products. It should be embedded into the ecosystem.
How It Works
How It Works
Using object-recognition and color-detection technology, the app analyzes bricks in real time and dynamically highlights the correct piece.
Instead of relying solely on color, builders receive additional cues that make the experience intuitive and inclusive.
A seemingly simple addition — with outsized impact.
Why the App?
Why the App?
It’s the fastest and most scalable path to impact
Technology enables real-time object recognition and guidance
Digital accessibility extends across every set — not just a few
Inclusive design should be embedded, not optional
It’s the fastest and most scalable path to impact
Technology enables real-time object recognition and guidance
Digital accessibility extends across every set — not just a few
Inclusive design should be embedded, not optional
More Builders. More Ways to Play.
More Builders. More Ways to Play.
This solution reframes accessibility not as a constraint, but as an opportunity. By designing for an often invisible need, the LEGO Builder app becomes more inclusive, more intuitive, and more human.
Play is for everyone. The experience should be too.
This solution reframes accessibility not as a constraint, but as an opportunity. By designing for an often invisible need, the LEGO Builder app becomes more inclusive, more intuitive, and more human.
Play is for everyone. The experience should be too.
