Saw this over on TheVerge today, thought it was really cool: The design behind Hatchimals, the hit toy of the season — and YouTube - The Verge
Have you guys heard of hatchimals? Basically a furby in an egg that “hatches.”
Some interesting design theory behind it, emotional attachment has proven to be more effective than aesthetic or function:
“We really just draped some fabric over the mechanism, but I think it actually came out brilliant,” McDonald says. Counterintuitively, even though they tested out different levels of plushness, they ended up settling on a shorter, somewhat gnarlier covering for their robot, and designed the eyes to have a slightly sad, worried-looking cast. Even the way it moves when fresh out of the egg is meant to seem helpless and a little lost. “When I look at the poor thing, I want to pick it up,” McDonald says. “It’s like a newborn, and, like a baby, it doesn’t matter if it’s really ugly — you gave birth to it, so you instantly love it.”