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As Design Director for toy company WowWee, I found that my game experience applied directly, as
many of the same principles of
game play and human psychology are in effect in toys.
Most important came the respect for the almighty Bill of
Materials (BOM)—the factory cost of the
item. Balancing the integrity of the toy's design with the realities
of cost, and integrating the efforts of executives, designers,
writers, engineers, marketing and sales across two
continents was fundamental to the success of the product.
In addition to play spec and logic flows, my activities at
WowWee included executive strategic product planning, directing
the US design team, presenting product
proposals, developing a branded online world, improving
standards and practices, hosting creative "think tanks", and frequent travel to Hong Kong. |
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Directed marketing animation introducing WowWee's
Mr. Personality—an interactive robot with an
animated face and a split personality. |
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WowWee Mr. Personality—the
world's first interactive
split-personality robot with over 3 hours of humorous dialogue and
numerous
modes. Designed initial
concept, play spec, logic flows, event dialogue tables, facial animation
tool user interface, through product factory testing and marketing. |
Designed play
spec, logic flows, event dialogue tables for
WowWee Tribot— nominated for 2008
TOTY Toy of
the Year Award. This toy has sold almost 1 million units to date.
Worked with
writers, engineers and the factory to tune the content to suit the market and the
technology. |
What was to be
WowWee's flagship product, Orson was a real
marvel, at over 1 meter tall. I designed the play spec and flows as a
virtual valet, able to use his online connectivity, camera, and IR
sensors to alert you vocally to important appointments and alarms of
your choosing, even when parked. |
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A desktop control widget for
WowWee
ChatterBots—animated desktop characters, plugged into your computer,
that comment on thousands of keywords as you type. This simple
control widget allows for triggering commentary on demand (and shutting
it up)! |
Product concept for electronic
plush dolls with emotive technology and touch response. Using RFID dolls
could sense touch, light and each other, moving their eyes and
expressing a wide vocabulary of short emotive sounds. |
Layout for a software tool
included in the proposed toy WowWee PocketsBots—a set of colored line
following bots that play games using simple customizable
logic, Users visually program instructions using drag &
drop rules, and then scan the bot over the bar code at right to play the
game. |
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| While at WowWee I worked with
author Matt Goss to design play spec, logic flow, and dialogue event
tables for proposed toy item
WowWee Bear Crimbo. |
Original concept, play spec, logic flows for proposed toy from WowWee
called LoudMouths. Crazy
interactive electronic plush toys that really take a beating—and make a
wacky wailing as you do it. |
Directed the development of a proposed branded online world called
The Island of WowWee—thematically
integrating the company's entire product line and creating an online
recurring revenue opportunity. |
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