Power-Up Costumes That Redefined Play

Skills

Play Design, Interaction Design, Digital Play Prototyping, Rapid Prototyping, User Testing, Concept Design

Role

Interaction + Play Designer

PrototypingUser Experience

Note on confidentiality
Due to NDAs and child-safety guidelines, I can only show publicly released assets from this project. The visuals below represent final or promotional material; my contribution focused on interaction design, prototyping, and playtesting earlier in development.

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The Challenge

How do you take an iconic character and give him new powers—without needing screens, instructions, or adult help?

The LEGO Super Mario team needed each power-up costume to:

  • Feel physically distinct and instantly understandable

  • Introduce new game mechanics

  • Deepen engagement without increasing complexity

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Our Goals
  • Introduce clear, replayable mechanics through each costume
  • Prototype + validate them quickly through kid testing
  • Align interaction logic with physical model design and audio-visual feedback
My Approach
Play Concept Design

  • Each costume started with a core “verb” (e.g. climb, shoot, smash). I explored how to map that into intuitive, physical actions—ones kids would try without being told.

Rapid Prototyping
  • I built low-fi prototypes using Unity and custom sensors to simulate costume effects. This helped test ideas fast before they were locked into final builds.
User Testing with Kids
  • We ran structured playtests with 6–10 year olds. Watched what they did, not just what they said. Measured time to discovery, joy reactions, and how powers changed their play patterns.
Outcomes
  • 3 tested & shipped power-up costumes
  • Faster discovery time in tests (avg. <10 seconds per costume)
  • Longer play sessions (+12 mins on average)
  • Overwhelmingly positive qualitative feedback from kids and parents