Repo for MS Data Visualization, Parsons School of Design Thesis Project
I'm studying why buying blind boxes is a rapidly rising trend in China because I want to know what motivates young generation to buy it and collect it even they don't know what's inside in order to introduce this phenomenon to my audience.
- blind box lovers
- gamers(blind boxes in video games)
- collectors
- general public
- investors
I expect users to be able to see the trend of blind box market, the economic growth, and some basic background knowledge/history of why this market becoming popular. Also, I want to explore the reasons and psychology behind the binnd box culture that why people want to collect it and can't stop buying it once they start?
- What is Blind Box?
- The Trend
- The leading company: Pop Mart
- Comparison with Art Toys
- Why buying it?
- The psychology behind Blind Box
- Data Source
- Design Decisions
With the increasing wealth of Generation Z and the rapid diversification of entertainment, the blind box industry has made a big splash in the financial market. A blind box is a package with mystery contents that customers purchase from a particular brand. Under the leadership of some blind box companies and social media accounts, blind boxes have achieved huge market success in China in recent years. When toys become the hobby of ‘adults’, they bring cultural and business opportunities and challenges that should not be underestimated. Blind boxes, it may be inferred, have met customers' psychology of curiosity, pursuit of beauty, nostalgic mood, and need for companionship.
What is blind box, and why did it go viral? presents the history of how the blind box market developed since it was introduced to China and explores the psychological reasons why people are so addicted to it. This data visualization project focuses on how the blind box market became popular, the huge potential behind it, and why people are so addicted to blind boxes, as well as the psychological research behind it. Viewers of this project can get to know the famous IPs, the comparison with art toys, and filter out the economic growth and potential financial market year by year with both text narration and visual presentations.
I first hand drawn the wireframe on paper, and then remake it in Figma.
To see more details, please visit here.
I made the prototype in figma and Illustrator.
To see more details, please visit here.
preview image:
screenshots:
Richard Whiddington. "With TOPTOY, MINISO Makes A Bid for the Art Toy Space." June 25,Available from https://jingculturecommerce.com/miniso-toptoy/.
Richard Whiddington. "How POP MART Dominated the Chinese Art Toy Market in 2020." April 8,Available from https://jingculturecommerce.com/pop-mart-2020-annual-report/.
Chloe Yorke. "The Unstoppable Boom of Art Toys." December 8,Available from https://jingculturecommerce.com/the-unstoppable-boom-of-art-toys/.
The Editors of Jing Travel. "How POP MART is Taking Domestic Appeal Global." September 29,Available from https://jingculturecommerce.com/how-pop-mart-is-taking-domestic-appeal-global/.
Xiaohongshu. “Can you ‘Play’?”, "Https://Mp.Weixin.Qq.Com/s/8Tko3o9Va2pnleE8t0T8pQ." Nov. 16, 2020, Available from https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8Tko3o9Va2pnleE8t0T8pQ.
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Chen, Xiaolin. Research on Blind Boxes Consumers---Taking Pop Mart as an Example. Atlantis Press, 2021.
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Wenyu. "Blind Box: Is it a Toy for Adults, Or an "IQ Tax" for Young People?" September 30,Available from https://www.ifanr.com/1266364 http://www.woshipm.com/marketing/4077463.html
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Forbes China. "Toys for Big Kids: A $100 Billion Business." July 22, 2019, Available from http://www.forbeschina.com/entrepreneur/43786
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Wudeansizhuang. "Why is "Blind Box" Addictive?" June 12, 2020, Available from http://www.woshipm.com/marketing/4077463.html
Raymond Krych (1989) ,"Abnormal Consumer Behavior: a Model of Addictive Behaviors", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 16, eds. Thomas K. Srull, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 745-748.
Xiaofeidashijian. "Pop Mart made 1 Billion in 2021, and it Will no Longer Only Rely on the Leading IP Molly." March 28, 2022, Available from https://m.jiemian.com/article/7265886.html#:~:text=2021%E5%B9%B4%EF%BC%8C%E6%B3%A1%E6%B3%A1%E7%8E%9B,%E8%B7%AF%E5%85%A8%E7%90%83%E6%97%97%E8%88%B0%E5%BA%97%E7%AD%89%E3%80%82
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