littleBits
This education startup invented the electronic building block. These magnetic “Bits” snap together to turn ideas into millions of inventions, transforming the way kids learn so they can grow up to be tomorrow’s changemakers — no matter their age, gender, race, nationality, or ability. 💜
OUR COMMUNITY
- PreK-12 Students
- Higher-Edu Students
- Tech Savvy Parents
- Administrators
- After School Programs
- International NGOs
OUR OPPORTUNITY
Our product team set out to translate littleBits’ mission of transforming the way kids learn so they can grow up to be tomorrow’s change-makers, into an empathetic product & marketplace experience.
We knew that it would be powerful if we put inventing at the heart of learning; making it easy for kids to learn through creative play by encouraging trial & error.
“It takes bravery to actually start tinkering…I don’t think they realize that they can do anything they set their mind to.”
Tech Savy Dad
OUR APPROACH
As a core member on the product & cloud team, I was a key collaborator in the product development process for the cloudBit, BitLab, the inventor community & the littleBits core marketplace on mobile & desktop.
Through research, we empathized with our community of inventors & their diverse challenges. Our learnings helped inform our approach to designing an experience that captured the desires & behaviors of our community of inventors.
While kids around the world snapped together their physical inventions they quickly came up against littleBits’ linear electronics system. We knew it would be powerful to unlock access to the Internet of Things, enabling them to prototype, test ideas, & participate in a field that is rapidly changing the world & how they live.
ITERATE BUILD & MEASURE
Bridging the physical & digital worlds
Throughout the development of the cloudBit, BitLab, the inventor community and the littleBits core marketplace; Human-centered design was the heart of how we approached all the complex opportunities that surfaced when bridging physical electronics and digital experiences.
We knew it was important to design with our community of inventors & foster an iterative environment that encouraged learning & failure; bringing us closer to a holistic littleBits experience in the digital & physical worlds.
Props to the littleBits team, who have magically combined mechanical engineering, software engineering, design and product to #MAKEEPICSHIT; empowering future generations. I’ve grown immensely under the leadership of Colin Vernon as well as Rochelle Lo, whom I’ve gained much wisdom in collaborating.
