Sports Goods Designer

Working Schedule

• Sports Goods Designers usually work full-time jobs, generally indoors but with travel sometimes needed to visit and collaborate with project managers and engineers.

Typical Duties

• Review markets for trends
• Conceptualize potential new products or upgrades on existing ones
• Look for problems that a new product or feature could solve for users 
• Research existing products and designs to see what’s currently available or what’s been tried before
• Come up with design ideas on potential consumer interest
• Review and analyze competitor products to uncover unmet consumer needs or wants
• Draft initial concept sketches and visual designs to go over with other designers, managers, and engineers
• Apply aesthetic skills to producing 3D models 
• Consider materials and fabrics to be used
• Keep user experience and ergonomics in mind while designing 
• Discuss short- and long-term potential for products
• Go over cost estimates with production executives
• Continue to develop approved ideas until they are ready to be prototyped, tested, manufactured, and marketed
• Pay close attention to feedback during testing 

Additional Responsibilities

• Explore ideas with team members outside the design department
• Consider stakeholder interests and be able to explain product strategies and visions
• Stay involved and offer support during the execution of design plans 
• Monitor sales performance and consumer feedback after a product is launched

Soft Skills

• Communication skills 
• Consumer-focus  
• Creativity 
• Curiosity
• Deductive reasoning
• Empathy
• Enthusiasm 
• Interest in games, sports, and fitness
• Organizational skills
• Patience
• Persuasiveness
• Resourcefulness 
• Sound judgment and decision-making
• Teamwork
• Time management

Technical Skills

• Business-orientation
• Familiarity with design tools
• Knowledge of software related to:
  • Analytics 
  • Computer aided design
  • Computer aided manufacturing
  • Development environment 
  • Enterprise resource planning 
  • Financial analysis  
  • Geographic information systems 
  • Graphics 
  • Object or component oriented development
• Knowledge of visual presentation equipment 
• Knowledge of generative research methods
• Understanding problem-solving frameworks and lean product management

• Sporting goods and exercise equipment manufacturers and businesses
• Manufacturing
• Wholesale trade

Sports and fitness equipment and gear must be rugged, durable, and reliable because it gets used over and over, sometimes by multiple people. Thus, consumers expect companies to produce goods that will last. 

Meanwhile, product manufacturers are interested in keeping costs as low as possible, so designers are stuck in the middle, trying to help companies save money while also putting out products that meet customer expectations. To an extent, they must ensure sufficient research and development is budgeted for. They must also be involved with quality assurance, so products are developed utilizing quality materials that meet necessary safety standards and prototypes are thoroughly tested before hitting the market.

Sports Goods Designers must use a human-centered design approach that puts consumer safety and needs first. Communication between teams is vital and designers may need to put their people skills to full use as they work with others to meet objectives and address issues effectively. 

The sports equipment industry has been valued at ~$111 billion, making it a wildly lucrative area of business. As Keith Storey, President of Sports Marketing Surveys USA, noted, “It’s impressive to see that the sports industry has outperformed the US economy for a second straight year. It highlights again the growing number of people taking part in sport, and…the wider pool of potential buyers in particular sports.”

Trends include an increase in individual outdoor sports and home exercise; a major boost in sales for “athleisure” wear; more digital-enabled fitness and exercise offerings (allowing for remote group exercising); and shifts in how goods are sold (increasing online and with the help of influencer marketing). 

Sports Goods Designers likely enjoyed playing sports or engaging in fitness-related hobbies that required equipment or gear. It’s possible they noted problems that they wanted to fix one day by creating better products. Like most designers, they’re creative and have a talent for art, but they are also practical and realistic. They may have liked tinkering with gadgets, doing arts and crafts projects, or creating tangible things with their hands.