‘Just another cost-cutting measure’: Inside the reactions to LEGO’s building instructions survey

19/09/202419/09/2024 Rachael Davies 96 Views 0 Comments

The LEGO Group’s swiftly-deleted survey about building instructions has for perhaps the very first time seemingly united the LEGO community.

It’s rare for the LEGO community to have a unified opinion. The diversity of LEGO builders across various demographics means that opinions about sets, company decisions, and more tend to be varied – but not in this instance.

The LEGO Group asked LEGO Insiders their opinions about digital versus physical instructions, only to quickly delete the survey a few hours later, seemingly after seeing the sheer ferocity of the community’s response. On reddit, X, and LEGO forums across the internet, the loudest voices appear to be united in condemning the idea of doing away with physical instructions.

But why are the responses so fierce? Here’s an overview of what people are saying about the survey and the potential loss of physical instructions.

LEGO should remain a screen-free hobby

“I build LEGO to get away from screens and tech, I’m sick of needing tech to accomplish everything,” wrote Warm-Investment-8251 on reddit. “Just another cost-cutting measure as they continue to increase prices.”

They’re not the only one, with many people pointing out that LEGO is for some children the last screen-free hobby. Where video games and streaming have taken over free time for many people of all ages, building LEGO is one way to unwind without needing to be scrolling on your phone or connected to the internet. If you don’t want to give that up, physical instructions seem to be the way to go.

Digital instructions aren’t accessible to everyone

For others, it’s not even about preference. There are any number of reasons that digital instructions might not be accessible for people, ranging from physical ability to simple access.

“Not everyone has access to a stable Internet connection in their homes,” argued NearTheSilverTable on reddit.

As a company that claims to champion accessibility, this should be a major consideration for the LEGO Group. It’s worth noting that the company seems to be at an information gathering stage at this point, so claims that the LEGO Group are disregarding builders who might struggle with digital instructions are not entirely founded. Nonetheless, it’s a valid criticism of the idea.

Hopefully this means that LEGO have realised what a terrible idea this is.

Removing physical instructions would be a massive accessibility issue in so many ways. https://t.co/pdmoIZRLHh
— Hûw Steer writes SF&F (@Huwage) September 19, 2024

There are other options

While the survey, while it was still up, was a series of closed questions without much room for free writing, people have taken to social media to offer other solutions to cut down on waste while still keeping physical instructions. One person on reddit suggested reducing the size of the instructions by fitting more onto each page, or reducing the number of single-step images.

The issue there would be quality control. Would this make it harder for some people to read the instructions? Would condensing the instructions make them harder to follow for younger builders or those new to LEGO? The LEGO Group is known for its stringent quality control and so it could be that the instructions in their current size and format are optimal for consumer use.

Offering a choice is a ‘logistics nightmare’

Some people tried to give the LEGO Group the benefit of the doubt, thinking about how a choice between digital and physical instructions would work in practice.

“I feel as an alternative could be offering an option on shop at home to request a set without paper instructions so those who care can help,” wrote @spoocecimo on X.

However, as @PenPlays_ pointed out in response: “That sounds good in a way, but they then have to have a set occupy two spots in the warehouse. One with instructions and one without. That space is precious. Add the risk of one being more popular than the other and it becomes a logistics nightmare.”

People doubt it’s really motivated by sustainable goals

The LEGO Group has pitched the idea as part of its ongoing sustainability efforts, similar to the move to paper bags and cardboard blind boxes. However, some people are questioning what the real reason for the perceived disruption to the customer experience is.

“This is another example of “signaling to the public we are an eco-friendly company’ that was certainly an idea by overpaid MBAs in the marketing department,” wrote @BrickCult on X. “Paper is recyclable and the amount in their sets is basically negligible. It’s simply virtue signaling to disguise a cost-cutting measure.”

It’s all part of a master plan

This lack of faith in the LEGO Group’s motives has even led to some to think that there might be another reason behind the survey. A Brick Fanatics reader commented on our earlier article: “This is an absolutely hilarious idea. I’m pretty sure LEGO is planning to use the outcome of this poll to show the world people want less digital in their toys, not more.”

It’s an interesting idea, even if it puts a pretty pessimistic spin on the company’s actions. Perhaps we need to eep an eye out for any future studies citing this survey?

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Rachael Davies

I write about all the very best fandoms – and that means LEGO, of course. Spending so much time looking at and talking about LEGO sets is dangerous for my bank balance, but the LEGO shelves are thriving. You win some, you lose some.