Sutnar Faculty Designers Succeed at LEGO Workshop in Denmark

Why are children playing less with physical toys and spending more time in online games? This question was explored by a multidisciplinary team of design students led by Jan Korabečný from the Sutnar Faculty during an international workshop in Kolding, Denmark. Their project was awarded first prize.

What is the role of physical play in today's world? What does a product such as LEGO offer consumers today? These questions were at the heart of this year's International Design Week, organized by the International Business Academy in Kolding, Denmark. Under the patronage of the LEGO Group's Creative Play Lab, design students from across Europe came together to explore what still motivates people to play with LEGO bricks and the value of such play. The winning project was developed by an international team of students led by Jan Korabečný, designer and lecturer at the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Their research project provided a detailed analysis of the intrinsic motivations that drive children to engage with LEGO bricks and examined the deeper values associated with physical play.

“We analyzed why children are playing less with physical toys and, conversely, why online platforms and games are so appealing to them. We explored their motivations and, through moderated team discussions, identified the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed solutions. For a designer, the ability to empathize with the user is essential,” explained Jan Korabečný, leader of the winning team and head of the Industrial Design Studio at the Sutnar Faculty. In addition to design students from the Sutnar Faculty, the team included students from the marketing and business programs. The expert jury particularly appreciated the project's in-depth analysis of user data and its successful translation into concrete proposals for future innovation.

As digital technologies take over an increasing number of activities, the ability to create with one’s hands, a skill experts consider essential for solving future challenges, remains a powerful way to develop creative thinking. This principle also lies at the heart of LEGO’s philosophy, encapsulated in the slogan “hands-on, minds-on.” According to the workshop organizers, this connection needs to be redefined and better understood. This year’s International Design Week, therefore, addressed a series of pressing questions: What value does physical play hold in a world where digital entertainment is instantly accessible? Is it a way to disconnect from screens, support mental well-being, or express oneself creatively? And what do people actually expect from physical play? The course was designed to help participants understand design research as a strategic tool for innovation and to demonstrate how physical play can be used to develop meaningful, future-oriented design solutions.

A total of forty students from across Europe took part in this year’s event in Kolding. Guided by academic mentors, they worked in six international and multidisciplinary teams on a real-world challenge. And the experience was about more than just winning awards. “We’re staying in touch. LEGO has offered our students the opportunity to apply for internships, which is a fantastic opportunity. And of course, we’re already looking forward to the next edition of International Design Week,” added Jan Korabečný. The Sutnar Faculty was represented by Adam Horký, Klára Petrová, Šimon Hrbek, Jan Vicek, and Ilja Skyban from the Industrial Design Studio, and Veronika Keprtová from the Product Design Studio. Lecturer Štěpán Soutner accompanied the group.

The workshop is part of an Erasmus+ BIP (Blended Intensive Program) project, which combines online and in-person instruction, and students also earn academic credits for completing it.