Consistency?
- Jan 15, 2024
- 2 min read
When you think of consistency in the context of product design you would probably think of brands that employ consistent design features across an entire product range:
However, I want to focus on one product that is aiming to be consistent across the entire world. The idea is that no matter where you are this product will look, feel and behave the same. I am talking about Wilson's new airless basketball:
I believe this was the most important sports-related design of the past year for a few reasons. Firstly, the manufacturing process is additive. When a traditional basketball is made it initially consists of leather or synthetic panels that are attached. The process uses lots of energy and unnecessary material to complete. However, the additive process creates just one panel that requires no attachment procedure. The ball also uses 50% less material than a traditional ball, reducing its environmental impact.
The second reason I love this design is the elimination of an annoying task that all ball sports players know... pumping up a ball. It is so annoying. You don't know how full the ball is, it takes an age and you always run the risk of getting the needle stuck inside the ball. An airless ball removes these things entirely.
The last reason I love the ball is all about consistency. If you are playing basketball in Miami Beach or somewhere low altitude a traditional ball will feel as though the pressure is high, leading to less force being needed to bounce it. On the contrary, if you move to Denver where you are playing at a high altitude the pressure decreases, making the ball feel less bouncy. This has been a massive complaint of professional players over the years. Due to the airless ball not using pressurised air to bounce this does not happen. Therefore, no matter where you are in the world the ball will bounce the same.
The consistency also comes from the design and material used. Those black lines (used to attach the orange panels) in the ball have a different feel to the orange material. Therefore, traditional basketballs are symmetrically inconsistent. The airless ball has the same pattern and material across the entire ball, therefore, no matter what part of the ball you feel it will be the same.
Now this ball isn't perfect yet. People have reported some issues with durability and Wilson is actively trying to fix these. However, what a product and what an idea. A true here are some problems, go and fix them kind of design.
Just to leave you with a bit of fun, here is Kenyon Martin Jr using the ball at the 2023 NBA dunk contest:
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