Top Five Design Tips to help the sports industry target the female market

  • Keynote presentation by Yvonne Lin & Whitney Hopkins of Smart Design's Femme Den, at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Show 2008 - Salt Lake City, Utah, 8th-11th August
  • Women's sports equipment is about more than 'pinking and shrinking' men's products

4 August, 2008 - Femme Den, a grassroots movement within Smart Design that specializes in designing products for women, will deliver a presentation in partnership with Teva at this year's Outdoor Retailer Summer Show that demonstrates how the sports industry can capitalize on the massive female market. Attendees will be shown how five simple guiding principles, developed by Femme Den can help businesses target female audiences by keeping subtle gender differences in consideration throughout the entire design process.

While the sports industry does offer women a vast range of sports products, it neglects to take into account fundamental gender differences. Yvonne Lin and Whitney Hopkins will show how men and women's distinct physical builds and attitudes towards sport and fitness, as well as their different psychological needs, are all critical to the successful design of women's sports products.

"Why can't helmets and ponytails work together? Why can't ski bindings be redesigned so that there are not nine times as many women as there are men suffering from ACL tears? And, if you are a woman, where are those chest straps on hiking backpacks supposed to go?" asks Yvonne Lin, Senior Innovation Engineer at Smart Design and a founding member of the Femme Den. "These are the sort of questions that we come across time and time again as many products intended for women are based on an over-feminized stereotypes. Many companies try to appeal to women by 'shrinking and pinking' male-oriented products. Little is designed for women that doesn't fit this one-dimensional mould - and this is the basis for our five principle guidelines that can help designers 'connect' with women and make the design changes that are necessary to satisfy the unmet needs of women consumers."

The Outdoor Retailer Summer Show takes place on August 8th to 11th at Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah. Smart Design's Femme Den presentation, The Female Race: How to Design Like a Girl (session ID 34), is sponsored by Teva and will be held in Downtown Marriott, salons G-H, on Friday, August 8th at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM.

A complete event programme can be downloaded here

About Teva
Teva is an authentic icon in the Outdoor Industry. Founded in the early 1980's by a Colorado River guide, Teva pioneered the sport sandal category. For over 20 years on the river, in the canyons, and across the trails of the great outdoors, athletes and enthusiasts have traveled the globe comfortably and confidently in Teva footwear. Providing a positive contribution to the world in which they play is at the core of everything Teva stands for. The Teva name itself is a Hebrew word meaning "nature" and the hand logo is the Hopi symbol for "Friendship" and "Water".

Please visit www.teva.com for more information or contact:

Jaime Eschette
Public Relations for Teva
Tel: 800-433-2537 x 178
Email: jeschette@deckers.com

About Smart Design
Smart Design has been turning insight and innovation into successful consumer experiences for over 25 years. The company's approach integrates product development, interactive experiences, brand communication, and strategic insights to ensure winning design solutions. From its pioneering Universal Design collaboration with OXO International, developing its renowned line of kitchen tools, to its work with leading multi-national companies including HP, Microsoft, Lexar and Acer, developing user-friendly electronics and humanizing technology, Smart Design creates products that truly connect with the consumer. Smart Design has offices in New York, San Francisco and Barcelona.

Please visit www.smartdesignworldwide.com for more information or contact:

Thomas Isaacson
Marketing
Tel: +1 212 784 4052
Email: thomas.isaacson@smartdesignworldwide.com

Manuela Whittaker
The PressOffice – PR for Smart Design
Tel: +44(0)1780 721433
Email: mwhittaker@pressoffice.targetwire.com

Aldo deJong
European Office Contact
Tel: +34 935 846 615
Email: aldo.deJong@smartdesignworldwide.com


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