IDC Excels with User-Focused Massage Gun

International product design company, IDC (Industrial Design Consultancy), has developed another successful product for Chinese medical company, XFT. This latest product is a Percussive Massage Gun, the XFT-2020A. It was designed to take on market leaders with an improved design and attractive price point.

IDC was briefed to design a lightweight, aesthetically appealing percussive massager for both sports and recreational use. The device was to be used to treat sore muscles; reducing back and shoulder pain by powerful oscillation and muscle stimulation to accelerate blood circulation.

The team was challenged to develop a configuration which allowed users to easily hold the product on difficult to reach areas such as the shoulders and calves, taking into account the weight of the device. Competitor product research and testing revealed current models were not meeting user needs and were cumbersome and difficult to use. After understanding the pain points of existing products, the team found an opportunity to design a massage gun which allowed two-handed use with multiple handle positions, and an improved cantilever effect when using on the lower body.

Three different concepts were presented to XFT and they chose all of them for further development and refinement. All concepts offered great versatility for use and a distinctive look to set them apart from competitors. IDC thoroughly explored different forms of handle and mechanism arrangements, which were all put to the test by users. The feedback from testing meant that designs could be revised and optimised in a short space of time.

XFT had initial ideas about the oscillation mechanism and battery, and IDC worked with these to brainstorm the best solutions. With the constraint of internal mechanism and battery dimensions, the team came up with innovative configurations and made initial models to test and verify the concepts against the design goals. The heaviest parts of the product came from the motor mechanism and battery pack. These two assemblies were also the biggest components and provided a challenge in designing them to suit usability. Also key was balancing the weight when holding the device in different positions, and handle design had to be carefully considered to offer optimum positioning during use.

The team also designed the outer packaging and storage bags for the massage guns. The packaging was designed to be as simple as possible so the design could be easily transferred to other XFT products as needed. As with XFT’s other design projects, IDC offered support with design for manufacturing to bring the products to market successfully.

IDC’s Managing Director, Stephen Knowles comments, “We’re delighted that XFT chose to develop all three of our massage gun concepts, with the first product already launched and enjoying success. By focusing on user needs, our team has developed a medical device which is unique in its approach to massage.”