adidas Pacer

An audio based running coach that allowed you to clip it on your clothes and plug in your ipod to set your mind free and still achieve your running goals.

The beauty of running is that you don’t need much to get out the door.  For a large population who don’t enjoy running we identified a need to audibly guide users through their running plan and respond to biometric feedback from sensors on the body including pace and heart rate while allowing them to listen to their music.  Enabling runners to connect their own music on any ipod or mp3 device and let Pacer mix the tunes in and out of coaching kept it simple and created motivation.

The need for simplicity was the driver of the design language enabling it to quietly disappear onto the body during a run and feel like a pebble in the hand to touch.  Clipping it onto the waistband of a pair of shorts or bra strap meant it was always just there. A single update button in the center allowed the user to recall coaching like how we call on our “ai” devices today whenever we want!  This was one experience in a line of products that enabled the adidas digital training service miCoach.