DELIGHT. INSPIRE.
DELIVER ON TIME, WITH QUALITY EXPECTED.
augmented reality — voice interaction — product design — board games
Studying game design and launching into the toy industry showed me that while tools and terminology change — the passion to creatively deliver fun is at the heart of everything I do.
DISCLAIMER:
The work I did is Hasbro property, and therefore must abstract my experience.
Itchy Trigger Fing-ar
While at Hasbro I was heavily involved in prototyping mobile interfaces and interactions between toys and Augmented Reality for brands like Nerf, Star Wars, and Magic: The Gathering.
Hack n’ Bash
To get the tech off the ground, it was my responsibility to kit-bash and understand a multitude of code, optical, and hardware solutions to find the right blend that was cheap enough for kids to play with AND care about.
Hi, Tech, meet Reality
Throughout this process I closely collaborated with ace Sr. Industrial Designer Sophie Horton-Jones to refine physical shapes and angles of AR markers attached to toys, accommodating the constraints of the headsets and digital tracking.
Simultaneously she developed increasingly elegant prototype solutions evolving from tape, to velcro, to custom 3D printing.
“That’s cool but, how do you show me when I’m in Rhode Island?”
To present AR effectively to stakeholders anywhere, our team had to innovate how we filmed interaction demos. We used solutions like reflecting the mobile screen, custom (cardboard) camera rigs, and motion graphics in videos supplementing presentations to brand owners and leadership across the country.
It was my responsibility to own and drive team projects across a multitude of unique interactions, using a process of:
Brainstorm—Sketches—Tech-Demo—Storyboards—Filming—Presentation Design—Pitch
“Best week ever”
During one of the most productive weeks I’ve had at Hasbro, a colleague (Jairo “9am-panadas” Fula) and I turned business and manufacturing constraints into Power Rangers product success.
Power Rangers Brainstorm
On Monday we delved into Hasbro Insights research, having fun sketching the interests and capabilities of our target age and Power Ranger user with paper + pen.
We followed our imaginations to ideas like “luchador Power Rangers”, and orchestrating a Power Ranger “Cirque du Soleil” show. While unfeasible, that creativity led us to a delightfully simple idea that fit our target audience and brand strategy.
“Kubrick”
Outlining the top 5 features of the concept, I worked on strategic writing, Jairo sketched the features, and we developed an in-house ‘commercial’ showcasing the concept.
Shot on iPhones and using props we found at Wal-Mart, we collaborated to storyboard, direct, shoot, and edit a snappy 1-minute ad that showcased the concept simply and effectively.
The Good Part
By Friday we had our concept, video and presentation deck, and I pitched the concept to the Directors of iPlay, and iPlay technology respectively. The presentation won them over, and the concept was fast tracked within Hasbro’s production process where it is currently being user-tested and developed.
A successful pitch is rewarding, but the real “good part” was how much fun Jairo and I had at each stage of the process, and how that fun tangibly transferred into the product.
Leading By example
A major highlight in my experience occurred when I stepped up at an opportunity to represent our 5-person team in critical daily meetings attended by the Directors of our 80+ person group.
It was my responsibility to be accountable for our deliverables, set strategic milestones, oversee tasks, while also prototype critical demos collaboratively with Jr. and Sr. Interaction Designers.
Our team not only delivered above expectations, but ahead of schedule — allowing us to assist other teams in finishing their demos on time.
Team morale and organization is intuitive for me, and I was constantly experimenting with our team process to find the right solution that fit us.
Hasbro Brands
While at Hasbro, I had to opportunity to contribute to these brands while also developing potential new IP.
If you would like to hear more stories like:
how leadership skills learned at Hasbro transferred to leadership in athletics (and vice-versa)
managing team expectations during an AR collab I did with Nick Bartoletti from Wizards of the Coast
presenting a tech-demo to the CEO of Hasbro as my interview
feel free to reach out!
I love meeting new people 1 on 1.
