June 2009

I’ve always been a huge fan of Kinder Eggs because they so clearly see themselves as designers of a complete experience rather than simply candy makers.

To me, it always felt like I was getting so much more than what I paid for and I think that feeling is a result of them tapping into a combination of a few different areas of the human psyche: indulgence (the obvious, superficial, one), satisfaction that comes from successfully building something yourself, and finally, play.

The combination of these three human emotions are extremely powerful and should always be kept in mind when designing experiences (both digital and physical).

For a long time I had meant to write a blog post about Kinder Eggs but Pasta & Vinegar (great blog, btw) beat me to it and does a great job of analyzing the Kinder Egg experience:

• The way the designers manage to create small toys than can fit into this yellow box is imaginative and fascinating. There is even a rolled piece of paper to explain how to build the toys out of the separated pieces: the smaller manual on Earth perhaps. It’s also curious to see that this tiny space also have enough room for a small paper-based disclaimer in almost 10 languages.
• The yellow container is a curious objects that can be repurposed for lots of ways (for instance as a container for small items, like coins, or for kids to tinker out weird stuff)
• The toy series, constantly transformed and new, is also an on-going surprise (see for example people who collect them).

Check out the whole piece here.

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