Michelle Lee, Managing Director at IDEO, leads their Design for Play team. She has made it her mission to use the principles of play to create impactful products for a diverse range of industries, from healthcare to food and beverage. Michelle is an award-winning designer driven by a desire to bring thoughtful solutions to fruition through user-centered design.

Before joining IDEO, designing toys at VTech and University Games fueled Michelle’s passion for play while lead product roles at thredUP and ShopWell ignited her spirit of entrepreneurship. Michelle firmly believes that the power of play enhances engagement, builds connections, helps us face challenging situations with enthusiasm, and stretches our abilities to new levels.

This week on the Optimistic Design podcast, I’m excited to welcome Michelle and hear her thoughts on the importance of play as adults. Michelle dives into the concept of designing for joy and how it intersects with the overall need for functionality. We discuss how to appeal to emotional needs through design and thereby ensure longer-term engagement. Michelle also shares the scientific evidence that backs the importance of play and some examples of play as a human experience that have been personally impactful for her.

“Our mission is to empower the world through play. We believe that it's important to apply play principles across different industries, in a way that we can utilize the power of play, to spark curiosity, to deepen connections, to encourage creativity, and to help people really find meaning in the world.” - Michelle Lee

“As designers, we can see that play gives us the confidence to tackle challenges, to see beyond our assumptions and what we think is reality, to start imagining a different future.” - Michelle Lee

04:30 Michelle shares the mission of IDEOS Play Lab and the talents of the team she leads

07:03 What is most important for designers to consider when working at the intersection of design and play.

10:55 How the Play Lab team measure joy when prototyping and testing designs

12:19 The importance of sharing concepts through roleplay and other creative mechanisms.

15:27 How the design team has embedded their playful culture in a virtual environment over the last two years.

17:27 How play is now being used to tackle more complex issues, like sustainability, the circular economy, and mental health.

18:53 How Michelle’s team thinks about play in different contexts and environments.

21:27 Ways in which designing for play have evolved since Michelle started working in the space.

23:29 Play as a part of self-care and Michelle’s advice for teams trying to incorporate a sense of play into the way they work and how they engage with one another.

27:39 How to learn more about play-centered design.

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