Creative Lab

Let’s Get Creative!

Colour-in, draw, paint, make a mess and pop bubbles with a whole host of CBeebies friends in the CBeebies Creative Lab.

Brief

After the successful launch of the CBBC Creative Lab in 2020, the BBC wanted us to look at creating a bespoke version of the experience, tailored to the younger CBeebies audience. They focus was on simplification, the introduction of tactile new art-tools and a brand-new mini-game experience that younger kids would really enjoy.

Our Response

The first task was to thoroughly redesign the CBBC version with a younger audience in mind. This meant sense-checking each existing menu, button and tool, against what the creative goals of a younger player might be, and cutting anything that felt too complex.

To get the visual aesthetic right, we needed to echo the style of the existing Creative Lab, whilst also ensuring the CBeebies version had it’s own unique identity. We opted for something that was a little brighter, rounder and softer, that would compliment the CBeebies branding and the overall feel of CBeebies show library.

The Challenges

Some of the new art tools were really tricky to get working to a satisfactory standard, such as the Glue-and-Sprinkes combo or the Silly String spray. User feedback and constant iteration helped us get there.

Adapting the CBBC Creative Lab interface for a much younger audience took a lot of thinking and some tough decisions were made in the name of simplicity, such as removing the layers system and controls that involved touching and dragging precisely.

The Results

As before, the main art creation tool sits at the heart of the experience, only this time there are 4 new tools for users to play with to give younger users even more fun ways to make a mess: Tape, Stamp, Silly-String and Glue-and-Sprinkles!

The hub was simplified, removing the Challenge and Achievements areas, reducing the amount and increasing the size of Creative Play Experience buttons, and pushing branded content to the fore, so kids could instantly connect with CBeebies brands

The Spin Art Creative Play Experience was retained but modified to both simplify and improve it. The Drippy Brush tool was added to allow users more creative options alongside the addition of the new Silly String and Glue-and-Sprinkles tool being included as well.

Bubble Pop is a brand new Creative Play Experience offered with CBeebies Creative Lab which lets kids choose an image and then fill it with paint via the simple pleasure of popping bubbles. Each is bursting with paint, glitter and multi-coloured stars so a completely unique picture builds up as the player pops!

At any time whilst drawing, bubble popping, or using Spin Art, users can tap the tick button. This will show the Well Done panel, allowing users to save their artwork as well as presenting them with suggestions of what to do next. It’s a great way to keep kids engaged and discover more of their favourite characters.

As before, to help keep the Creative Lab fresh, Activities, the Sticker Roster, Spin Art backgrounds and Bubble Pops can all be swapped out, themed and updated by CBeebies staff at any time.

The CBeebies Creative Lab represents a wholesale reworking of the CBBC Creative Lab, optimised for the 3-6yrs CBeebies Audience. It’s jam packed with favourite CBeebies shows, messy creative tools and intuitive new Creative Play Experiences. We hope the younger ones enjoy making a digital mess with it on phones, tablets and computers right across the UK!

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