Many people tend to be conservative in their thinking because they fear the judgments of their peers. Kids tend to fear much less. A trusted environment, where people can explore with less apprehension, encourages people to play. That's why friendship is a shortcut to play—secure uninhibited exploration. This is why many creative firms like Pixar and Google invest so much in creating a friendly and playful atmosphere. Tim Brown elaborates on three types of play: exploration, building, and role-playing.
Exploration
Adults tend to want to categorize new things and situations very quickly. Kids are more open to exploring possibilities. For example: kids can generally find more uses for a cardboard box than a new toy that came in the box. An adult's desire to be original will often limit the number of possibilities they will explore before they settle on a solution to a problem.
Building
Kids learn through construction play—building a tower and repeatedly knocking it over. Building play is thinking with your hands. Quickly getting something into the real world in order to evaluate its effectiveness at doing whatever. It's quick prototyping.
Role-play
Kids do this all the time—they follow social scripts. They learn the rules for their social interactions. When adults act out solutions it helps them determine if it will work in the real world. I f designer lives through an experience it helps them develop empathy for the client.
Play is not anarchy—it has rules. It's important to know how and when to play—exploration and execution.
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