The Campaign

Matt found it impossible to see important data while he was cycling. When competing, every little bit of extra weight will effect performance, so we needed to find a way to display this critical information to him in a lightweight, streamlined way. Our first reaction would be to create an earpiece so he could hear his performance. But, Matt is a tandem cyclist – his partner, Nick, sits directly in front of him, and is the pilot. Matt needs to be able to easily interact and hear what Nick says at all times. So we had to give him a visual solution that he could see despite his visual disabilities.

Creative Execution

By hacking the signal given off by his high performance pedals, we were able to transfer data to a custom interface. This included pertinent information like heart rate, pedal rate and power. Due to his limited vision, Matt needed a larger sized screen than traditional performance equipment had. We used a combination of UX, design and tech to enable him to track his performance at a glance, even as he cycles.

We’ve transformed the way Matt is able to train. He is now getting better times than ever, as he is able to track his power – meaning he doesn’t over-exert himself or go too slowly.   Matt ended up using the custom monitoring device on the way to first place in the National Championships. He’s now busy training for Rio – with the help of our device.

As an Olympic Sponsor developing a custom tech solution for Paralympian Matt Formston, gave Optus the opportunity to showcase that their support was about more than simply sponsorship, but also utilising their own human-centered innovation to truly provide better outcomes for the Australian Olympic team.