Sports Product Design

An introduction to designing new sports products.

Practicing sports and physical activity has always been important but is experiencing a surge in popularity in recent years with the rise of fitness influencers and the heavy advertising of healthier lifestyles. This creates an opportunity for anyone, business or individual, interested in designing new sports products to step up and show their brilliant ideas to the world.

Coming up with ideas for new sports products to design is thrilling but turning ideas into a reality takes a few more steps than that and this is where products can get challenging.

However, there’s no need to panic. Here’s how to start designing new sports and fitness products

Is the idea for this new sports product design viable? That is the main question. It is very important to decide if the project is doable from a technical and financial point of view. It is easy at the beginning to get lost in the excitement and forget to check if the idea aligns with reality.

 
In order to decide if the development of the sports product design is achievable, it is useful to answer the following questions:


1. What need does this sports product fulfil?
2. What is the potential market if there’s any?
3. How much will it cost to develop the product? Here it’s important to take into consideration, not just the materials and technology but any professional services that might need to be hired, plus the time it will take.
4. Taking the previous information into account, what would be the minimum price of the product? Can the targeted consumer afford it?
5. Are there any similar sports products already on the market? If yes, who are your competitors and what makes your product different from theirs?


It is also crucial to answer these questions based on real data and not on personal perceptions which is why it might be a good option to bring on board other specialised professionals, such as market researchers.

commercial viability risk
Idea to Business

Once the viability of the project has been checked, the next step on designing new sports products is to actually start designing it so it can be fabricated.


This is the moment when it will most probably be necessary to find and hire a product designer or a product development company that has de necessary skills and team to take the original idea and transform it into a proper marketable product.


If you are not familiar with the process of sports product design here’s a basic guide:


1. Every process starts with a brief that focuses on the target market. This is who the design is for.
2. Extensive research of similar products, technologies and materials necessary.
3. Sketching the product taking into account the overall aesthetics of the product.
4. Considering the usability of the sports product.
5. More specific and detailed designs that show the materials, parts and possible mechanical or electronic adjustments.


The end result of the sports product design process is a highly accurate design, usually modelled in 3D, which gives a detailed idea of the shape, dimensions and functionality of the product.

Product Design Guide
early stage prototype

At D2M we are with you from the very first step, verifying that your idea becomes the best product it can be.
We are experienced and passionate product developers and have worked in a number of different projects.

If you would like to read more about designing sports products click here. 

Contact us and tell us all about your new sports product idea.

Why not get in touch to discuss your project?

If you are looking for a UK based product design company, then get in touch with us today. We look forward to helping you design, prototype and launch your new product.
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Expert Knowledge

We’re all about helping companies, startups and entrepreneurs to succeed with designing new products.

Get your hands on some of our carefully crafted videos, pdfs and podcasts. If you want to successfully develop and launch a new product idea then click the images to discover more about these free, instantly available resources.

Product Design Guide
MVR Product Styling
MVR
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Bonus 40min extended case-study video!