New LEGO interactive digital Building Instructions

[Calabar]

I think that there is another simple reason why building instruction will not be dismissed: instructions are a sort of "proof" that you acquire a LEGO set instead than assemble it in other ways.

Many people threw out boxes, but keep building instructions, because they occupies a limited space and are useful, so today can be considered part of the set itself.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Calabar

[Superkalle]

I think that there is another simple reason why building instruction will not be dismissed: instructions are a sort of "proof" that you acquire a LEGO set instead than assemble it in other ways.

Many people threw out boxes, but keep building instructions, because they occupies a limited space and are useful, so today can be considered part of the set itself.

But what if the set becomes 20% cheaper if you don't want/need the instruction? Is it still worth it?

Also, we have to remember it is not so much what we AFOLs think, but what the core customer (those pesky children, 90% of customer base) think

And for parents, keeping track of the instructions is actually quite a nuisance

[Calabar]

But what if the set becomes 20% cheaper if you don't want/need the instruction? Is it still worth it?

When I buy an old set, usually I'm ready to pay even over 20% for a set complete with BI (and maybe the box). I consider BI as a sort of "certificate".

Anyway I don't think that the saved money would be even near 20%, maybe 5% or less.

And I don't think that in TLG want to save money for this, the price of the set is only partially due to costs. And the miss of BI could have a greater impact on final price greater than the money that has been saved because you don't realize it.

[Lyichir]

I'm not sure I would be so definiteas you Lyichir.

Just a few things to consider.

1) LEGO is an expensive toy and you have to look at their target customers and whether they have access to smart phones and I-pads - which the most likely have already today to a large extent

2) The amount of smartphones in the world is today 1.4 billion. Only Ipads alone have sold 100 million copies. Imagine in 10 years. Just a quick Google search gave me a report that estimates of 270 million device users in the US alone in 6 years.

3) Paper for instructions is on the decrease. And not only for electronics such as computers. In the automotive industry where I work we are slowly replacing instruction and service manuals with digital versions.

4) Yes, paper usage in general may be increasing. But I believe you have to view that in perspective of increased standard of living in the world and the number of people using paper.

5) Where I live, the libraries are tripling the amount of lent e-books every year.

6) Already today TLG is not distributing all instructions on paper. Some B-models and extra builds are only available on the net.

7) Technology evolution. You can get an Android pad for a 200 USD today. Tomorrow they will cost 50 USD - less then your average LEGO set. Maybe LEGO will even include them in the box in the future

8) There is much money to be saved. Producing and printing the manuals is a big cost for TLG.

But naturally TLG will not switch from paper faster then the average consumer is prepared to accept it, so I'm sure they won't do anything irrational.

And you're right about one thing - LEGO is an all analog experience...which is pretty great actually. Heck, maybe that is what will be the selling point in the future...you don't need an Ipad to play with LEGO

Anyway, my initial thought when putting the question here was more about the building satisfaction; does it matter if it's on paper or on screen? I don't know. Personally I crave print, but do kids in 10 years?

1) Lego is an expensive hobby for devoted fans like us, who buy hundreds of dollars worth of sets each year. But what about kids who just get one set every few months? What about kids whose Lego purchases only come in the form of $20 or lower sets? Technology should not be a barrier to entry.

2) 1.4 billion smartphones in the world, but how many of those go to kids, or families with kids? And that's still a fraction of the world population. A poll from June of this year pegged smartphone ownership in America alone at about 60%. Which is a lot, but eliminating 40% of your potential audience is a risky proposition.

3) Digital manuals are indeed on the rise. But that's in part because the number of people with access to the internet far outweighs the number who actually have the internet in their homes. You can access a digital manual for an automobile or the like at a local library if all else fails, but I doubt people would be as willing to relocate just to build a Lego set. Heck, many people still rely on desktop computers for the internet. Should the kids have to relocate to the computer room and kick Mom and Dad off the computer just to build a set?

4) Paper usage has increased even beyond that. Many institutions do more business than ever and still have to keep paper records as backup, especially things like corporations and banks. However, I concede that that fact has little to do with Lego instructions.

5) Tripling a number has little to do with the overall increase. That could easily be a few people for whom the technology has simply allowed them to read more. And eBook lending, purchases, and what have you is obviously increasing exponentially since it is a dawning medium. Ten years ago, the rate of eBook borrowing was probably zero, so by that standard it has increased by an infinite percentage since then. Anyway, your local library's rate of eBook lending has little to do with the argument of physical versus digital instructions.

6) There's a significant difference between being able to go further with a set online, and having to go online just to build the basic model.

7) Technology evolution is amazing, but it's starting to reach limits. The low price of electronics in the first world is already artificially inflated by abominable working conditions and pay for the people who have to put our electronic devices together. And no matter how cheap smartphones get, you're still talking about the transition between a product that is 100% self-contained, and a product that is reliant on technology that is not included.

8) I doubt the amount of money that could be saved by not including instructions is comparable to the amount of sales that would be lost by making that transition. I don't see that changing in the next ten years.

As for your main point: does it matter if you're building onscreen or on paper? For me, I think it does. Don't get me wrong: I have an iPhone. I have a laptop. I have been building based on internet-based instructions since I was a kid. But at the same time, I've spent the past few Christmases in North Carolina with my aging Nana. She doesn't have internet. But I've done an awful lot of Lego building there... and at college... and even in the car traveling from place to place, where I need all my hands to keep from dropping parts, and have to keep the instructions spread open in my lap to build. The second Lego set I remember getting was 6898 Ice-Sat V, and part of why I remember it so clearly is that I built it at my mom's college reunion, during a blackout. The amount that would be gained on Lego's part by going all-digital would offer at best a few dollars off the price for consumers coupled with far, far less convenience.

[Calabar]

A little surprise for me: I've installed it in a Mediacom tablet (dual core A9), it resulted compatibile in the Play Store.

It works fine, but it is a bit laggy.

A bit disappointed that animations are not interactive, while instructions are.

[ChrisLegix]

I had the opportunity to try the digital building instructions during this holyday season and I was astonished how well they are.

It's a first app and it points into the direction building instructions will certainly develop. Last Year I have been building with the 31313 Mindstorm Set that is close to paperless also.

As tablets are becoming more and more widely used the app will hopefully developed and perfected.

Just a couple of suggestions.

1) I would like to see part numbers. I recommend something like an Info option in the parts dropdown list

2) Certain parts like angled connectors should be made clearer as you don't know which angle it is (paper building instructions do have the part detail (3, 5 etc printed)

All in all I like the digital instructions and I hope they are perfected and maybe in the future there will even be a tool that can create this kind of instructions available for LEGO enthusiasts similar to LDD today.

[NevynPA]

I found a copy of the APK on the internet and installed on my phone. While it's not perfect on the small screen, it worked well enough for me to decide that I really liked it. Paper ones are good, but being able to 3D rotate to verify pin/axle position is a great benefit. I can see this being very useful on more complex models.

[Philo]

1) I would like to see part numbers. I recommend something like an Info option in the parts dropdown list

2) Certain parts like angled connectors should be made clearer as you don't know which angle it is (paper building instructions do have the part detail (3, 5 etc printed)

I have not tested the new BIs, only the ones of 31313. If you double tap on a part, you get a popup windows showing item number, color, and for some parts (axles, beams) its length. Not perfect (name and design number could be displayed too), but it helps!

Overall, I like them, but like Calabar I find some animations a bit slow to my taste (especially the return to programmed angle/zoom when going to next step).

[Shroud]

In 10 years we will be buying Lego online and having it print out on our personal 3D printer :P

But yea this is a long time coming, I've been using instructions on the tablet for a while as I was building some older sets. Getting a 3D image is great and would be even better if we could export our LDD MoCs to the app.

Will they make older sets available even if its without animations you think? Even if the community designs them...

[Nachapon Lego]

WIP, trick to use LDD lxf file as interactive digital Building Instructions.

For previous version and description: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=90164

Beta LXF BI for set# 42022.

Edited January 9, 2014 by bbqqq

[teflon]

Sorry for bumping this topic but recently I've got time to try out digital Building instructions on 42022 with my 6-year old son. He is quite capable of following instructions on paper so I give it a go.

The first problem was, that I have android tablets (Asus transformer and Samsung Note) and none od them was supported by the default. But I nevertheless tried to installed the application and I must say it works well on both tablets despite not being supported. Well, there was just a bit difference in the length of technic beams on the screen (1:1 view was not quite 1:1) but I guess this is the problem of different screen sizes and resolutions android has.

Instructions are quite good. Sometimes I also build with tablet (I do download instructions in pdf format) due to limited space. However I was pleasantly surprised with details (there was easy to spot difference between black and dark bluish gray, which sometimes is not obvious in pdf). However, it seems that all the choices of model manipulation (zoom and rotation) give our kid a bit of a problem. He was always double checking the instructions, playing with the tablet etc. My estimate is, that building was hence slower. Perhaps this is just a glitch but it seems that to many choices can make building a bit oversimplified - hence the double checking.

Regarding this, I remember James May saying about Meccano instructions - that in his old days they came with some deliberate mistakes to make children think about what they are building. It is nice when with regular instructions I have to think about design to see what goes where. And I am very happy when I get it right (an frustrated on other occasions). With digital instructions its almost impossible to miss something.

[mzoli]

The fresh 1.1.1 was updated on Play on Dec.18th.

It has some new 1H2015 sets: 42031, 42032, 42035 and 42036.

Unfortunately my tablet is not supported to install the app.

If someone could install it and share the APK I would be very glad.

Thanks!

[DrJB]

All valid points above, especially by SuperKalle. Now, one ponders whether animated instructions are really 'needed' as a step-by-step PDF often suffices. No, I'm not against technology, but putting animations together appears to be an added cost/effort I'm willing to do without. Of course, for the younger generation and those not mechanically inclined, those animations help. But then again, I'm tempted to venture that those would not be drawn to lego anyways. If the goal is to make the build very easy, then any 'monkey' can do it and then, where is the challenge? That said, similar animations were available when 8450 was released, but back then the digital 'revolution' and availability of computers was not as widespread as it is today. Interesting what the future will bring.

Edited December 24, 2014 by DrJB