Following the success of Hydrow's connected rower in 2020, which was named one of the Best Inventions of 2020 by Time magazine and raised more than $255 million, the company wanted to bring the joys of rowing to even more people. The highly aesthetic connected rower mainly appealed to luxury consumers who could afford the equipment and had the interior space necessary to house it. Hydrow's founder, Bruce Smith, aimed to create a lower-cost option that centered on function and accessibility to attract wider audiences.

Smith turned to our team to create the Hydrow Wave. By introducing an injection-molded glass-filled unibody construction, our teams made the Wave lighter, smaller, and cheaper without sacrificing the high-quality user experience of the Classic rower. This all-new, purpose-built rower looks the part and is instantly recognizable as a Hydrow.

INNOVATION

Rowing is a full-body exercise that provides an exceptional workout, but is inaccessible to many. Enthusiasts generally need access to water or a gym that houses large rowing equipment. Hydrow Classic changed that with an at-home rower, and Hydrow Wave made the brand even more accessible with a lightweight, portable model at a lower price point.

To do this, we delivered on several key goals:

· Preserving the immersive rowing experience of the Hydrow Classic using the same eddy brake technology and identical human factors.

· Reducing the size and weight of the device, ensuring it can be shipped by conventional carriers by shifting to a structural plastic unibody design.

· Lowering cost to appeal to a broader audience, achieved through a new construction methodology and the user doing the final assembly.

· Easy assembly and disassembly by one person with the aid of clever packaging and design features that serve as the third hand during assembly.

· Optional vertical stand accessory that further reduces the footprint when not in use.

· A look and feel that speaks to an audience looking for a no-frills, purpose-built fitness platform.

BENEFIT TO USER

Rowing is considered a full-body workout, engaging the arms, legs, and core. Outdoor rowing provides the added benefit of connecting with nature. However, it's a sport that is inaccessible to many as it requires being near a body of water and having the necessary equipment. Rowing machines fill the gap, but are typically large, mechanical, and cumbersome, making them best suited for public gyms.

The previous Hydrow Classic brought an elevated connected rowing experience to homes allowing users to attend virtual rowing classes and replicate in-person training sessions at home, however, it captured just a fraction of the total addressable market. For consumers who are on a budget or live in small spaces, Hydrow Classic isn't a good fit for their needs.In addition, it requires professional help to assemble and move, adding to owner costs and logistical complexity. Through the Wave's highly optimized design, we successfully brought rowing to more people through these key benefits.

• Lower cost of entry into at-home connected rowing

• Compact and lightweight for the category

• Easy to ship with all carriers and standard rates

• Easy to assemble and disassemble by a single person.

• Same smooth and quite connected outdoor rowing experience and health benefits as the Hydrow Classic

BENEFIT TO CLIENT

The Wave is Hydrow's second product brought to market in the connected rowing category, building Hydrow brand equity and serving to balance their product portfolio with both high-end and entry-level offerings. This expansive connected portfolio now positions Hydrow as the clear leader in the category. The Wave preserves the ethos of the Hydrow Classic, while making the product more easily shippable and portable allowing customers to use, move, and store the product much more easily. The Wave captures a completely new audience at the introductory end of the market and those with less space to devote to at-home fitness.

BENEFIT TO SOCIETY

As rowing is a full-body workout, it improves the fitness levels and well-being of people who row. Outdoor rowing provides the added benefit of connecting with nature. However, it's a sport inaccessible to many as it requires being near a body of water and having the necessary equipment.

By making rowing accessible to more people through a lower-cost, at-home connected rowing experience, Hydrow breaks the stigma that rowing is for the elite, and opens up the benefits to the masses.

In addition, this lighter and more easily shippable model reduces the carbon footprint of shipping heavy fitness equipment to its destination. This benefit spans from the point of manufacturing to the end user transporting the Wave in their vehicle.

Hydrow Wave's entire design and function aims to improve human well-being while reducing its impacts on the environment.

DESIGN DETAILS

Working with Hydrow, we aligned around the following goals: it should be lighter, less expensive, shippable, and portable. Our team collaborated with Hydrow on this, sharing mood boards, ideas, and sketches. We took inspiration from analogous architecture like bridges, construction materials, and other products with similar attributes like bikes and furniture.

Since the new rower needed to fit into a standard shipping box, we took those requirements and reverse-engineered a frame that could be broken down and reassembled easily.

Seeking to reduce cost and weight, we explored using plastics for structural components. The primary material was further identified to be glass-filled plastics. This provided the weight and structure and served to reduce assembly and fabrication costs. In further alignment with this being a purpose-built, low-cost product we embraced the functional glass-filled material aesthetic. This approach and clever use of materials resulted in a design that celebrates this structural functionality as a core aesthetic principle for Wave.

Additional lightweight translucent plastic covers were strategically added to the frame in areas needing protection from sweat, dirt, and user interference. We chose this material not only for its lightweight and easy-to-clean properties but also to allow users to continue to view every functional aspect of the Wave, including the eddy current brake system that controls the resistance.

To facilitate easy storage, our team also created an optional stand solution, that provided safe upright support when not in use.

The result is a highly functional, highly aesthetic final design.