Peloton have done something all great businesses do. They’ve solved a problem. And, even better, they haven’t reinvented the wheel in doing it either (excuse the pun!). At Lawbox Design we’re used to thinking differently to solve problems – it’s at the very core of our design thinking approach to the law – so we really admire this same pragmatism in other businesses!
What Peloton has done with their new bike is to use a bunch of technology and engineering that already existed but in a new, innovative fashion to create something which is a thing of beauty, and actually quite simple with the opportunities presented by today’s tech.
What are the problems they’ve solved?
boredom.
Take the bog-standard exercise bike. Great for about a week and you’ll definitely push yourself for a few sessions…until it starts to get hard, or boring, or both! Then it sits in the corner, gathering dust, before being sold on eBay. Pedalling on a bike on your own is no fun, and like most things, if it isn’t fun then there is very little motivation to do it for a sustained period of time.
time savings.
The other problem to be solved is that of time. We all live incredibly busy lives and often looking after our health and wellbeing comes well behind working and/or caring for others. When it comes to food, we’re often drawn to what’s most convenient because of the time savings and the same thing is true of exercise. The more convenient we make it, the easier it is to do it.
How did Peloton solve these problems?
a virtual community.
Peloton created a virtual community by connecting real people with the same goal – to get more fit. They created a platform in which you can compete with others and against yourself.
They’ve also hired amazing instructors to motivate and entertain you through classes (warning – some of these instructors can be incredibly seductive!), and like all good spin classes, they’ve designed them around great music and playlists, which makes it fun – depending on where all that sits on your funometer!
fantastic design.
The beauty of their design can be seen in the bike (it’s lovely to ride, robust, and has a great screen), but also their customer service (from ordering, through to delivery, through to after sales and servicing) and the programmes and classes – there is something for everyone with hundreds of live classes which are all recorded and made available for you to take part in at any time (convenient!).
This means you don’t have to think about anything. The hardest thing you have to do is get yourself to the bike and turn it on and before you know it you’ve produced a bucket of sweat!
appreciate the value of great design.
Before anyone asks, no, I haven’t become a Peloton rep and I don’t hold any of their shares (yet!). The reason for the coverage in this month’s newsletter is to remind ourselves of the true value of great design.
Peloton identified a problem and they designed a solution, most likely through a process of prototyping and testing before they arrived at the right one.
At Lawbox we’re truly inspired by businesses like this. Not because we want to float on the stock market for billions (although that would be nice), but because they were bold enough to try and solve a problem, just like we’re trying to do with legal services.