Horseplay, play and playfulness in adults

Abstract: The intention was at first to design a toy with support and feedback from Brio and so on a visit to their head office in Malmö took place in the beginning of the project. After the visit and further reading about the subject, the project took a different turn. The most interesting aspect of toys became play and the feeling of it; playfulness. The focus hence became on an emotion instead off an object. Further research was done through reading articles and books within the subject. To get get personal views and thoughts interviews were conducted. The research was then summarized in findings that came to use when beginning the ideation phase. The goal of the project was, after the research, to design an object that would awake the emotion of playfulness with adults. The choice of beginning the ideation phase by choosing a location was made. The- reafter ideas of objects, for the purpose of awakening the feeling of playfulness in a sophisticated and adult way, came up by sketching and brainstorming. The object of interest was at this point a swinging park bench. The project took a turn when the decision of letting the final design be fully about a play and to inspire adults to play like children. The final object therefore became a spring swing designed for adults.