Testing a Design with LEGO Before Construction
Sometimes the best way to solve a design problem is to step away from the computer. Faced with two possible desk layouts, I built the room from white LEGO bricks to test the options in three dimensions. One solution immediately became clear, giving both me and my client confidence before construction began.
So much of my work happens on a screen that sometimes I need to work through a problem with my hands. That was exactly the case when I was designing a custom desk for a client. I had two possible layouts. On paper, they both worked. I couldn't decide between the options, so to make an informed decision, I borrowed a box of white LEGO bricks and built the room.
Sometimes plans can only tell you so much. Sometimes you create a perspective, a 3D render, or build the space out of foam core or balsa wood. In this case, I used LEGO.
The borrowed white bricks were deliberate. They felt architectural. Without colour or decoration distracting me, I could focus purely on the design, the layout and how the new desk related to the existing room.
Working from CAD drawings, I recreated the room and built both desk design options so that I could swap each one in and out. As soon as I did, one solution quickly stood out. What had seemed like two equally good ideas on paper no longer felt equal. Seeing the space in three dimensions made the better option obvious. And in presenting the preferred option to my client, and they agreed.
As I worked through the model, I noticed something else. I could feel my brain changing. Building the model slowed me down and gave me a different way to think through the problem. Instead of clicking a mouse or zooming around a drawing, I was physically experiencing the design through my hands. It reminded me that sometimes the best way to solve a problem isn't to spend more time looking at a screen. The LEGO model became another way of testing the design before making a recommendation.
It also reminded me of something I'd almost forgotten. We spend so much of our lives solving problems through a screen that it's easy to overlook the value of making something with our hands. Whether it's sketching an idea, building a model, gardening, sewing or cooking, there's something about physically making that helps us think differently. If you're feeling stuck on a problem, perhaps the answer isn't another hour in front of the computer. Maybe it's time to step away from the screen and let your hands do some of the thinking.
