Play testing is the best way to figure out what works and what doesn’t. This is true for all prototypes – as a matter of fact – this is the whole point of prototypes; finding out what works. Is this a viable product, game, or concept? Does it work as intended? Are there adjustments that need to be made? What can you do to make it even better… or simpler?
These are all questions you need to ask yourself before you’re ready to move to market. Here at VSSL we can help:
Build the prototypes for play testing, proof of concept, or looks-like/works-like modeling.
Design the branding, logos , and graphics to give your concept a personality.
Guide you in the right direction to make your concept a reality!
A skateboard wheel designer’s journey to find purpose! – Purposeboards
Custom Peanut Board and Design – Purposeboards
Skate with Purpose!
Sometimes the world presents you with an opportunity to do something…not just anything, but something with purpose. Unironically, it lead me to create Purposeboards LLC.
Purposeboards is a passion project originating from my life as a product developer for a skateboard wheel manufacturer. I spent my days developing CAD models, molds, parts, tooling, and ultimately wheels. I worked with the top skater’s, from around the world, that wanted the next best thing. Fortunately for them I was good at my job and ended up designing a few wheels that broke world record’s for speed and stability. Although it was an exciting industry to be a part of, I felt it lacked innovation and inclusivity. The skater industry, as I found out, was some of the most exclusive, closed groups of people I’ve been around. If you tried to change anything about ‘the way they do things or the way they’ve been done’ there was resistance. If you simple wanted to learn to skate to be included – you had to do it on your own time until you were ‘good enough’ or ‘daring enough’ to roll with the lords of dogtown. This left a lot of people on the margins, who just wanted to give it a chance.
Well, I wasn’t about that status quo – I decided to try and tackle that issue by making skating more approachable.
When you think of the typical ‘skater’ – you probably think punk teenagers. Well, you wouldn’t be too far off. In 2006, 71% of skater’s were between the ages of 12 and 17*. If you didn’t know how to skate, you couldn’t get into the culture. Well, back in 2012, I decided to make skating more approachable by designing a board simple enough for a toddler, and approachable enough for parents to get them one.
The Peanutboard was born. I designed this board with safety in mind. Deconstructing everything I knew about a skateboard, and redesigned it, from the ground up, to include a slower roll speed, more stable turning ability, a shorter and wider platform, a soft foam top, larger and softer wheels, and, for good measure, I even included handles in the deck for a kid to sit or lay down to ride it like a kneeboard. There was nothing like it on the market. By this time, the fastest growing demographic was 9 years old and younger*. This was my market.
I saw a void in the market, that nobody was catering to, and found a need that needed to be filled. Since I didn’t want to create just another product, I decided that I needed to create products with purpose; something functional that makes people feel unique and included. I named the company Purposeboards – where every board is designed with purpose, to showcase that custom product design doesn’t have to be just another gizmo or gadget, but that it can be larger than itself. It can give people a sense of inclusion and purpose. Our approach at VSSL carries that same mantra!
