NFL HEADSET

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Motorola asked Insight to design a new headset that the NFL coaches and staff would embrace and that would better represent the company’s brand.

CHALLENGES

The challenge was to create an aggressive, comfortable, and robust headset while improving brand visibility and maintaining a noticeable connection to the existing headset. I started out by conducting an ergonomic analysis of the existing headsets with multiple Insight employees. 

IMMERSION

Following an aesthetic evaluation of the existing headsets, a seven game analysis was conducted recording the amount of time each Motorola logo was on camera. Improving the visibility of the headband logo was an obvious opportunity. 

Insight teams interviewed numerous NFL coaches and conducted observational research during the regular season to gain a better understanding of what was important to the user. Comfort, quality, and performance were the essential ingredients that surfaced, and were used to guide the design process. 

After speaking with NFL coaches and staff, a handful of terms came up when describing what wearing the headset meant. Inspirational images which embodied these terms were used to set the tone for conceptual ideation sessions. 

SOLUTIONS

Four of my design directions were chosen from dozens of concepts to move forward into 3D development.

After a trip to Halas Hall and some additional conversations with coaches of the Chicago Bears, two of the four concepts were down-selected for design refinements.

All of the design improvements had to be completed in five months so the headsets could be tooled, assembled and ready for the 2007 pre-season.

To improve brand visibility, the size of the Motorola logo was increased on the temple pad and microphone and I added two large, angled logos on the top headband. The additional headband logos can be seen from the front and back even when the microphone logos are covered by playbooks.

We tested multiple fit models, with accompanying aesthetic directions, until an optimal design was reached. A group of visual models was then camera tested in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field, with the help of NFL films.

“….the discomfort from a headset is a distraction on game-day that I can live without” — Dick Jauron, senior assistant and defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles

The new Motorola NFL Headset is more ergonomic and durable in comparison to its predecessors. Each new headset has improvements in comfort, acoustic sealing and microphone performance, and the behind-the-head version allows coaches the ability to choose the headset which best fits their individual needs.