If there is one thing that is bound to raise the hackles of many AFOLs, it’s the offer of removing a something that they regard as an intrinsic part of the experience. And yesterday’s survey on the topic of Digital vs paper instructions certainly raised a few hackles. And then, it was mysteriously removed.

Today, we have received an official response from the LEGO Group on the subject.

“We would like to reassure fans that we have no plans to stop using physical building instructions in our products.  

We conducted this survey to understand more about our adult fans’ preferences regarding our products and building experience, something we do regularly across a range of topics.

We would like to thank our LEGO® Insiders members who took the time to respond to the survey – your feedback is important to us and helps us make our LEGO experiences even better.”

If you missed the survey, here is a snapshot of the questions, via JaysBrickBlog

It certainly feel like there was a certain degree of bias in the formulation of the questions.

Was this a win? Or were they just testing the waters. I was surprised by just how mixed the responses were in our facebook comments.

There were, as much as I could see, 3 types of response:

• ”I don’t by sets (to build,) so I am indifferent to having the instructions available” – typically from those who predominantly build MOCs, and view sets as a source of parts
• “I dont mind digital building” – I have to admit, I dont mind this too often, but it is not my default. Pre-release sets rarely have digital instructions available, so paper is almost inevitable. The app, on a tablet at least, occupies less desk space, and can overcome poor lighting on the instructions. But is limited in its ability to store instructions for offline use, and dependence on active internet connection for use is regarded as a bit of a hurdle.
• Finally, there were those who would choose paper instructions to be the hill they would die on. Partly nostalgia, partly the screen free experience, and partly the ability to do something when your phone battery is flat! But, many people did say they would be happy to have printed instruction to be less simple than they are at present: to have, perhaps not quite a return to the ‘Spot the difference’ of the 1980s, but more complicated than they are at present. This could reduce the paper in use.

Of course, while the move towards purely digital instructions represents a move away from physical waste, there is still the issue of the energy requirement to host and serve the documents, plus that needed to receive them.

I’m sure that in time there will be a mixture of options trialed, even if the reassuring words today say that paper is not going anywhere.

I suspect there will ultimately be a mixed model. With some sets having a heavier paper presence, and others having a heavier digital presence – probably depending on the nature of the set, and its expected audience. Perhaps everyone will be able to be happy?

In the meantime, feel free to express your thoughts on the topic in the comments below, and until next time…

Play Well!