A martial arts rank display product and community platform for modern martial artists.
Combining modern martial arts rank display with modern NFC technology.
Background:
Company: RankPatch
Services: Research, Design, Fabricate & Build
Role: Research, Physical Product Design, Digital Product Design, Product Management & Project Management
Taking martial arts into the modern era, combining tradition with technology
For modern martial artist, it's difficult not being able to display their rank on contemporary workout gear. Without the old-school kimonos and belts, it’s been chaotic to say the least, trying to remember skill levels and match up with training partners.
Revolutionize modern martial art rank display
Create a cutting-edge rank display product using NFC technology, so combat sport athletes can proudly show their rank on all their training gear. Plus, connect with friends and contacts effortlessly through our community platform.
Project Approach
Branding
Brand Vision & Mission
Branding Style Guide: Defining visual and stylistic elements & brand voice and tone
Logo Design
Site Architecture, Wireframing & Copy
Online store & user platform SA
Wireframing
Crafting content to inform, engage and guide site visitors about products and services.
User testing
Launch!
Coming Soon!
Research Phase
Concept Ideation
Market / Competitor Analysis
User Interviews
Technology Feasibility
User Personas
Physical Product Design
Product Layout Design
Layout Preference Testing
Fabricator Search & Technology Integration
Physical Product Prototyping
Research
The research phase began with evaluating the RankPatch product concept with market needs and competitor products and services to understand athletes needs in the changing world of martial arts.
Concept Ideation:
Crafting innovative rank display design that is easily recognizable, high-quality, and incorporate technology for seamless digital interactions and profile displays for modern "NOGI" martial artists.
Market / Competitor Analysis:
Analysis of existing martial arts rank display systems and products to uncover their strengths and weaknesses, while exploring the increasing popularity of NOGI martial arts and listening to customer feedback to better understand market needs.
User Interviews:
Engaged with potential customers to gather insights and feedback, aimed to understand their preferences, pain points, and expectations regarding martial arts rank display systems and uncover specific features they value most, and frustrations with current products.
Technology Feasibility:
Evaluation of integrating NFC/RFID technology, to enhance functionality and user interaction through innovative features seeking to meet emerging market demands.
User Personas:
Developed detailed user personas to appreciate diverse customer needs and preferences, ensuring effective understanding of various user demographics and usage scenarios
Physical Product Design
Focusing on aesthetic application, and functional versatility, to deliver products that showcase cross- functionality but also provide practicality and long-term reliability.
Product Layout Design & Preference Testing:
Crafting the layout design to optimize visual impact and user experience, balancing aesthetic appeal with functional clarity to ensure intuitive navigation and information accessibility.
Design Preference Testing:
Conducted preference testing on product layout designs to gather feedback on visual hierarchy, usability, and overall appeal, ensuring products are both aesthetically pleasing and intuitively functional for users.
Fabricator Search & Technology Integration:
Searched for a fabricator with expertise in fabric and embroidery precision manufacturing, focusing on delivering high-quality products. Rigorously evaluation of various NFC/RFID options were conducted to ensure compatibility, reliability, and seamless integration aiming to enhance functionality and user experience.
Physical Product Prototyping:
Refined design features, tested material durability, and evaluated manufacturing viability, creating prototypes that meet rigorous quality standards and functional requirements.
Branding
Strategically develop a brand identity by defining a clear vision and mission, crafting compelling messaging that resonates with our target audience, and designing visually appealing elements such as logos and packaging that connect with potential customers. Establishing a distinctive brand personality that communicates a commitment to quality and innovation.
Brand Vision & Mission:
Formulated a brand vision and mission to reflect the commitment to delivering innovative, high-quality, NOGI rank display system and product that meets the evolving needs of modern martial artists.
Branding Style Guide:
We crafted a branding style guide that defines color palettes, typography, and brand voice, ensuring marketing materials and communications stay consistent and true to our identity, helping us maintain a unified and recognizable brand presence across current and future channels.
Logo Design:
Crafted a logo that conveys the feeling of strength, and modern aesthetics combined with elements that are easily recognizable, balancing sleek, contemporary lines to ensure that the logo captures the essence of the brand.
Site Architecture, Wireframing & Copy
Strategically designed the site architecture and wireframes to create a seamless and enjoyable experience, making it effortless to browse our online shop, explore new products, and manage user profiles with ease.
Online Store & User Platform Site Architecture:
The site architecture was designed with the goal in mind to create an easy to navigate and seamless experience for any device, and empower users to effortlessly manage their user profiles, explore products, and complete purchases seamlessly.
Wireframing:
Created wireframes to outline the functionality of e-store and digital user platform, ensuring each UI element was strategically placed for optimal user interaction.
Copy:
Crafting content to inform, engage and guide site visitors about products and services.
User testing:
We conducted user testing to enhance the online e-store and user profile experience, ensuring optimal functionality by gathering feedback on navigation, functionality, and overall user experience to enhance usability and meet customer expectations.
Launch Coming Soon!
Presently, we are dedicating our energy to the design of the online RankPatch platform to create a seamless e-commerce experience, as well as incorporating a martial arts platform to maximize the utilization of RankPatch's NFC technology.
Let's collaborate and create something amazing!
Connect with the community effortlessly using NFC technology to share your social media.
Project Objectives
Design and craft a durable, high-quality, easy-to-use rank display system for martial artists who use "NOGI" gear during training.
Sourcing of top-level fabricators that can produce consistent, high-quality products matching the rigorous requirements of martial arts use.
Create an intuitive e-commerce site allowing easy ordering of various RankPatch options to suit the user's needs.
Use embedded NFC/RFID technology to allow athletes to easily connect with team members, new contacts, training facilities, as well as display their athletic profile.