LEGO
Senior developer creating a new e‑commerce platform with React for LEGO. Designed to handle high traffic volumes and support multi‑language, multi‑currency functionalities.
In Detail
LEGO was named 'Product of the Century' by Fortune Magazine twenty‑seven years ago, whilst its owner, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, was inducted into the U.S. Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 2008. It isn't a stretch to say that LEGO is one of the most popular toy brands in the world (and a personal favourite for my daughters and me). The brick design has remained virtually unchanged since 1958, underlining the brand's commitment to quality whilst remaining able to adapt and transform over time to broaden market appeal.
The brand's evolution into the 21st century showed a pronounced shift towards engaging with their users directly, not only through the introduction of their own LEGO Stores and selling directly to consumers via their website, but also with the introduction of online games, challenges, and digital innovation.
It is this shift in focus that started their digital overhaul in 2011, driven by the need for their digital platforms to remain competitive and accessible to a growing user base, many of whom were now accessing their websites on mobile phones or tablets.
A key component of this initiative was to launch an all‑new, responsive e‑commerce platform that addressed the needs of a changing consumer landscape and was capable of handling high traffic volumes and internationalisation via multiple languages and currencies.
During my tenure as a senior front‑end developer on the project, I contributed to the development of this robust React‑based platform. The focus was on creating a seamless and responsive experience across all devices whilst aligning with LEGO's parallel rebranding efforts.
Our work resulted in a dynamic, user‑driven e‑commerce solution, alongside sets of more content‑oriented pages (using AEM), and, of course, the online experiences, user accounts, online games, and microsites that have become a staple of LEGO's online offerings.
Within the first year of launch, LEGO saw its user engagement and online sales increase exponentially. The codebase we wrote remains online and in use to this day, serving LEGO's fans and the builders of today and tomorrow...
Bright, Engaging, and Playful
The entire website is made up of multiple different applications, all using a shared, playful and engaging aesthetic. E‑commerce and promotions are intertwined with more content‑driven areas and marketing.
Product Listing and Filtering
As is true in any e‑commerce application, one of the biggest challenges for both customers and website owners alike is finding a way to help users find what they want (or are looking for) as efficiently as possible. This is especially complex when it comes to smaller devices where screen real estate is at a premium, but at the same time, is the most common type of device used by visitors to the site.
On the LEGO website, the PLPs feature detailed product photography and specifications alongside comprehensive filtering options that allow users to hone the results to exactly their individual requirements, from themes and prices to recommended ages and even the number of bricks in a given set.
Product Details Page
The PDP on the LEGO website has been carefully designed and optimised to provide the user with as much information as they might want about the product quickly and in an easy‑to‑digest format.
In what has become a very familiar format throughout the e‑commerce projects I have worked on in my career, this means a large carousel of product imagery, showing each model in great detail, along with key product specifications and descriptions. The challenge ‑ as always ‑ is compressing this into an accessible format on smaller‑screened devices.
