Raijin

Soccer just got smarter.

Design Role

Project Lead

UI Designer

Duration

Winter 2024
10 Weeks

Team

Nathan Witherall
George Saxon
Charlotta Rink

Tools

Figma
Arduino
Slack

Meet raijin

As part of the 'Interactive Product Design' course at Savannah College of Art and Design, my team developed Raijin (pronounced rye-jin), an innovative transformation of the traditional soccer ball. Raijin pairs with an app to track stats, connect players worldwide, and foster a vibrant soccer community. Inspired by the idea of elevating everyday objects, this hybrid ball blends tradition and technology to empower players and redefine the game.

Over 265 million people worldwide play soccer regularly, but less than 10% have access to tools that track their performance or connect them globally.

The Gap in the Game

Many players face challenges that limit their growth and connection:

Limited performance tracking tools.
Few global connection platforms.
Overlooked accessibility needs.
Inconsistent skill-building solutions.

The Foundation of Innovation

Raijin’s design stems from understanding core human motivations, ensuring it fosters connection, growth, and meaningful engagement with the game and its community.

Questing

Connecting

Telapathy

Our aim is driven by three human Drivers:

The drive to seek out new challenges, experiences, and knowledge.

The need to establish and maintain relationships with others.

The ability to understand and empathize with others' feelings and thoughts.

Who is Raijin For?

By understanding the needs of players like Joe, Raijin brings these human drivers to life through innovation and connection.

Bringing Raijin to Life

Through an iterative design process, we developed modular components and integrated Arduino technology, blending intuitive technology with seamless usability. Each stage of development—from early sketches to app workflows brought us closer to redefining how players connect with the game.

1st Sketch

Final Sketch!

Final Prototype

Raijin was designed to revolutionize the way players connect and engage with soccer by seamlessly blending technology with the game.

Here’s how this vision became a reality:

Takeaways

Project Insights:
Raijin taught me how to merge technology with physical experiences to create meaningful global connections, while balancing technical challenges with user-centered design.

Collaboration:
This project emphasized the value of teamwork, flexibility, and responsiveness, as I worked alongside peers and industry professionals.

Future Enhancements:
I aim to focus on accessibility, inclusivity, and advanced analytics in future projects, delivering more empowering experiences for diverse audiences.