Pretty much the only thing that I dislike about traveling is having to figure out my workout routine while I am away from my gym. No one has the space or energy to carry weights with them wherever they travel. It can be hard to find a new place, and often the prices to join a new gym are enough to deter even the greatest fitness guru. While I have gotten creative and love a good body weight workout, some exercises can be tough without weights. When I saw these inflatable weights at SkyMall, I knew they were on to something.
In theory, what they have is not terrible. The idea makes sense: small inflatable tubes that you fill with water at your hotel and then slide them onto the provided stick to add weight and you’re good to go. Aside from the fact that they look like floaties, after researching them more and readings reviews I found a few other key problems.
1. It is very difficult to get the water in and it makes a huge mess.
2. They sometimes pop/are not very durable.
3. There is no marker for how much water will equal how much weight.
4. There are no instructions for potential exercises you can do with them.
5. Plastic like this smells funny.
6. There are a lot of little parts to keep track of.
7. The photos used look like a bad 80s workout video.
To address all these concerns I revised the design below:
Target audience: Busy people who are serious about fitness.
Inspired by existing collapsible water bottle design, I decided to make a product that is all in one. When fully compressed it is small enough to fit in a pocket, expanded halfway it serves as a water bottle, and when fully expanded and filled with water it serves as a 20lb weight. Adding water could not be easier; all you do is take off the top and fill it. There are amounts on the side to tell you how much weight you have added so that you can fill to the desired level. I also added a carabiner clip so that it is easier to transport. The material used is more durable as well which would enable a wider range of potential activities. I didn’t design it here, but they would come with an instruction manual that shows certain workouts that you could do with the weights (aka a guide for hotel room workouts).
For advertisements I would channel a simple, nike style format to appeal to that same population. I would put advertisements especially in train and bus stations as well as airports to appeal to people who are already in the habit of traveling.
Sources:
http://www.skymall.com/aquabells-travel-weights/GAQB100.html