Identifying User Needs for Novel Strength Training Equipment

Abstract

As the fitness industry continues to evolve, there is an increasing demand for more variety in the offerings of strength-training equipment. Since commercial gyms are visited by people with vastly different goals and varying experience, new products must appeal to wide audiences. This thesis aims to identify customer needs for novel strength-training products and to evaluate the usefulness of feedback from different user groups. User insights were collected from recreational gym-goers, elite athletes and trainers/coaches, who all had varying experience in the field of strength training. Feedback was gathered through 38 semi-structured interviews and from observations. The analysis revealed key functional and ergonomic needs and demonstrated that the relevance of the feedback differed between user groups. Elite athletes mostly ex pressed specific performance-related requirements, while inexperienced users more often emphasized guidance and intuitive interaction with a product. A commonality across all user groups was the need for adjustable equipment, in order to accom modate a wide range of body types. These findings supports a more effective and efficient processes in the development of future strength training equipment, and also became the foundation of a novel product concept that meets several of the discovered needs.