The Nike+ FuelBand is the ultimate sports motivator. It tracks activity as NikeFuel, a universal metric based on oxygen kinetics mapped to activities and associated movements. This enables athletes to compare, compete and collaborate across activities, regardless of gender and body type. Whether you walk, dance or play catch, the more you move, the more NikeFuel you earn. The FuelBand also tracks calorie and step count—and is also a watch. The experience doesn’t end on the wrist; all of the data captured on the band syncs effortlessly to a rich mobile or Web-based experience. The Nike+ FuelBand merges the digital and physical worlds to motivate and inspire athletes to make every day count.

Nike has always been dedicated to inspiring and motivating athletes to do more. The challenge was to grow the Nike+ community by creating an authentic experience that enables all athletes to be the best they can be all day, every day. The following insights allowed the designers to formulate a strategy that would solve this challenge: make the invisible visible because you can’t improve what you can’t measure; enable athletes across multiple sports and activities to compare, compete and collaborate by creating a common social currency; provide continuous motivational feedback on users’ progress; design for all-day comfort and aesthetics; make it user friendly, intuitive and fun; and create the ultimate motivator for everyday athletes to do more.

Users start by setting a target for how active they’d like to be each day. A built-in three-axis accelerometer measures their physical activities, and a single button interface shows them how much NikeFuel they’ve earned and how close they are to their daily goals. Fitness becomes a game as users track their progress from red to green throughout the day. When they reach their goals, the band celebrates with them. The FuelBand effortlessly syncs to the mobile app through Bluetooth or to the Nike+ website through the built-in USB. Through the online community users can tap into a chain of inspiration. They can compete with themselves or share results with friends to compare, compete and celebrate; see personal activity graphs for the day, week, month and year; unlock achievements and celebrations as they reach new milestones; and share their successes or challenge friends via Facebook and Twitter.

The Nike+ FuelBand is designed to fit the active lifestyle with its sport-inspired aesthetic and all-day comfort. The complexity of the device is hidden within a soft outer skin, sculpted to emphasize its slender profile and beveled to draw attention to the color LEDs; every detail has a purpose. It comes in three sizes and uses an integrated link system for fine fit adjustment. It is powered by two curved lithium polymer batteries that conform to the curve of the wrist.

Credit: Nike Digital Sport and partners
Contact: Howard Lichter: [email protected]