Life as we know it has completely moved online, everything we do now is digital and this transformation happened rather quickly. Working from home was a perk and now it is mandatory, universities that never closed during blizzards have turned into total online schools and even exercise classes are happening via Zoom. It is almost like we are all living like the Sims now and when this game ends, you best believe our house cleanliness is going to level up to 5000! The one thing we all miss that can’t be digitized is how nature physically feels – the wind in our hair, the sand on our toes and the football field’s grass in our face when we fall. PSA: football and soccer are the same, let’s not get into that match.

While everyone is online, one designer thought of how he can bring the tech world to football coaches and that is when he designed the conceptual Nike controller. Now it may look like your average controller but it is actually a tool for coaches and managers to analyze training sessions as well as matches in real-time. Think of it as playing a real game with real people where your controller gives you the data on how each team member is performing so you know exactly what is working and what needs improvement. Coaches are human too and they cannot keep their eyes on each of the 12 players for 100 minutes, so a controller like this is perfect – it maps out players in the stadium and summarises the data on the controller.

The design is similar to the controllers we recognize – minimal and ergonomic so it feels natural instantly. Now unlike a game, you cant actually control the players but this data is crucial for strategies, for picking substitutes in real-time and for optimizing the performance. It keeps the learning curve minimal and the guesswork mistakes low. The team will ultimately become consistent and emerge as better players with well-crafted game plans backed by data. I think this conceptual Nike controller for real players has scored its goal in bringing the digital and real worlds together for a better game.

Designer: Rohit Mudliyar

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