LEGO Legacy - Decades of Imagination

Introduction:

For the Maven LEGO Challenge, you'll need to stack your imagination and analytical prowess to piece together an interactive dashboard or visual that lets users explore the history and evolution of LEGO sets from the past 5 decades.

This interactive dashboard is a portal to over five decades of LEGO's evolution, a canvas where colorful bricks have built worlds that stretch to the farthest corners of creativity and complexity. This project sets the user on a detailed journey through the intricate landscape of LEGO sets, offering enthusiasts and analysts alike a chance to dive in and explore the stories they tell – of market trends, shifting target age groups, and LEGO's commitment to education and innovation and particularly their rise after a major fall in the earlier 2000s.!

About the Dataset:

The dataset is a CSV file with 18459 records. LEGO sets released from 1970 to 2022, including details on each set's theme, pieces, recommended age, retail price, and image.

Tools Used:

Power BI

Phases involved:

The overall process is divided into 2 phases - Data cleaning, and Data Analysis & Visualization.

Phase 1: Data Cleaning and Preparation:

The Cleaned Dataset:

The dataset was almost clean with just a few minor changes. I have also added the Age and Year bins for decade and age range calculation and the necessary measures.

Phase 2: Data Analysis & Visualization:

I have designed and built this as a 4-page dashboard. I also tried to create a first page with KPI cards and clicking on it should reveal the trend for each. (I wouldn't have done this had it been an executive dashboard but since its a user dashboard and of course LEGO, I took that liberty) It was interesting to explore and try such. With a few slicers and buttons, it will help the user to explore a ton of details and gain Insights!

Questions Analysed and their Insights:

• Has the Release Rate of LEGO Sets Grown Over Time? The trend shows a fluctuating growth until 1990 followed by a more pronounced and consistent upward trajectory. This suggests a period of stabilization and potential re-strategizing in the early years, with a successful expansion in production from 1990s and continued to ascend into the 2020s reflecting the company's innovation, increased market presence, and sustained popularity!
• Are There More Pieces in Newer LEGO Sets? The trend shows the number of LEGO set pieces produced from 1970 to 2020, revealing a gradual increase until the late 1990s and then a steep rise, especially after 2010, indicating a significant expansion in the complexity and size of LEGO sets. The projected trend continues to climb sharply, suggesting expectations of even more intricate LEGO sets and possibly a growing consumer demand for larger sets.
• Has the Number of LEGO Minifigures Risen Over Time? The trend shows a sharp increase in the number of LEGO minifigures from the 1980s to 2020, with notable surges around the late 1990s and after 2010, suggesting a growing emphasis on character diversity within LEGO sets. The forecasted trend implies a continuing rise, indicating that LEGO minifigures are becoming an increasingly attractive element.
• What's Driving the Increase in Average Price of LEGO Sets Through the Decades? This shows a fluctuating yet overall increasing trend. The dip in the average price of LEGO sets around 2003 aligns with the company's financial crisis, a time when LEGO nearly went bankrupt due to rapid expansion and lack of focus. The subsequent rise reflects its strategic turnaround, which included streamlining operations, focusing on core product lines, and investing in complex sets, leading to a revitalized brand that commands higher prices and continues to innovate, as seen in the ascending price trend post-crisis.
• Are New LEGO Themes Increasing? The trend portrays a general increase in the number of LEGO themes from 1970 to 2020, with growth accelerating in the early 2000s, indicative of LEGO's diversification strategy to appeal to a wider range of interests. Despite some variability, the trend suggests a continued investment in exploring new themes, likely to captivate an expanding audience with varied interests.
• Did LEGO's Category Growth Stabilize After the 2000s? The trend exhibits a steady rise in the number of LEGO categories from the 1970s, with a noticeable plateau beginning in the 2000s, reflecting an era of expansion followed by stabilization in the diversity of LEGO's product lines. This suggests that after broadening its range, LEGO has found a consistent set of categories that resonates with its audience.
• How does the Complexity of LEGO Sets Influence Price? There is a progressive increase in the Average retail price as the number of pieces in the LEGO Sets grows, indicating a strong correlation between sets complexity and Price. This is particularly pronounced once the pieces cost exceeds the 1000 piece threshold. This may be due to the featuring of exclusive designs, advanced mechanical designs, or the popular licensed themes that command higher prices due to the novelty factor.
• Do increases in Minifigs equate to higher LEGO Prices? There is a strong relationship between the Increase in Minifigures in the LEGO sets and the Average Price. The higher the number of Minifigs, the higher the price. However, in some cases, the Average price is surprisingly less for the**** high number of Minifigs, but there can be several reasons for it - part of a**** promotional offer, limited deal, or a deal on bulk orders, etc.
• Which Theme groups are priced higher on Average? "Educational" themes stand out with the highest average price, reflecting LEGO's investment in creating sets that combine play with learning, which justifies a higher price point. This is followed by "Technical" and "Model making" themes, which may contain more advanced mechanics and detailed models, targeting an audience willing to pay more for complexity and functionality. On the other end, more basic and miscellaneous themes show a lower average price, which appeals to a broader audience with general interests.
• Sets with High Price - "Millennium Falcon" and "AT-AT" are the Sets with high Price, followed by "Identity and Landscape Kit".
• Sets with high # Minifigs - The "Figure Collection" Set has the highest number of Minifigs.
• Sets with high # Pieces - The "World Map" Set tops the list of Sets with the highest number of Pieces with 11695 Pieces followed by "The Ultimate Battle for CHIMA" with 10004 Pieces.
• Top Theme Groups based on # Sets - The "Miscellaneous" theme group stands out with a significant lead, boasting 5.9K sets, more than double the next leading theme group. The "Licensed" and "Modern day" themes follow, with 2.5K and 2.4K sets respectively, underscoring LEGO's successful partnerships. "Pre-school" and "Action/Adventure" round out the top five, highlighting LEGO's commitment to early education and play experiences. Out of the leading Theme group Miscellaneous, "Gear" theme tops the list, with a huge margin difference to the next leading theme. Also, the "Storage" Subtheme tops the list.
• Top Themes based on # Sets - The "Gear" theme tops the chart with 2.8k Sets followed by the popular Duplo, Starwars and City.
• Top Subthemes based on # Sets - "Magazine gift" emerges as the leading subtheme. Other promotional and product collection subthemes follow, highlighting LEGO's use of limited editions and exclusive items to maintain interest and collectability.
• Which Age group is LEGO's Core Audience? With 3.6K sets designed for the "6+" age group, LEGO's core audience is clear. This range likely represents sets that balance play, educational value, and a moderate level of complexity suitable for this age range.
• How long have LEGO's Themes enthralled Builders? LEGO's theme longevity chart shows a remarkable 52 years of continuous presence for "Basic", "Miscellaneous", "Modern day", and "Pre-school" themes, demonstrating their strong foundation. The slight lag in "Educational" themes at 50 years may be due to a slightly later introduction but still represents a significant long-term commitment.

Conclusion (Personal Experience):

I enjoyed the whole process from Data Preparation to Analysis and Visualization. This was an interesting dataset to work with. However building this in PowerBI for the first time required a lot of effort but there was definitely a lot of learning as well. I'm yet to explore the vastness of PowerBI. Looking forward to applying more in the upcoming projects.