Adam Tavin
Head of Sales and Marketing at Rabbit Product Design 
Product Designer - ‎Entrepreneur - Bodybuilder 
About Adam Tavin
   A product designer and high-intensity competitor all my life, I’d designed products for years but also saw the limitations of “design for design’s sake.” As an entrepreneur, I knew there had to be a more strategic approach to product design, one that encompassed the entire product design lifecycle and that focused on the end result: a successful product.


   I look at product design holistically. Everything from product conception to engineering and prototyping and from supply-chain management to marketing. I’m privileged to work with Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurs and to participate every day in innovations in consumer electronics, the Internet of Things/wearables, medical devices, home and commercial appliances and much more. I’ve also worked with Apple, Cisco, Speck, Lunar and others, and am grateful to have been exposed to many of the best practices in the industry, which provided the fuel for developing many of my own. 

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What Product Designers Can Learn From Bodybuilders, Part 1 of 3
Written by Steve Mason
Adam Tavin of Rabbit Product Design has a confession to make. He is obsessed. Obsessed with every phase of product design – from defining the concept to engineering and manufacturing to selling. After all, what’s the point of a good-looking product that doesn’t sell? It’s all about the end result and that means de-risking every step of the way.


 

But even though Adam Tavin is a Product Designer, you might be surprised to learn where his motivation came from: Bodybuilding! Now, he may not have exactly the same look as Arnold Schwarzenegger had back in the day, but it’s fair to say that the drive to succeed, not just in the process, but in the outcome, really goes back to bodybuilding. And that in turn applies to Transforming Ideas Into Marketable Products.


So exactly what can product designers learn from the sport of Bodybuilding?


  •  De-risking through proper diet and exercise. In Bodybuilding, you have to de-risk while training to minimize the chance of injury. You have to avoid ruining your hard work by making sure you don’t go into a catabolic state. Transforming Ideas Into Marketable Products is the same. You not only need to drive to the end result, but you have to meticulously plan every stage so your hard work isn’t ruined. A complex design that can’t be manufactured or is not sellable is a common error made, for example.
  •  De-risking through process every step of the way. In Bodybuilding, you have to eat lots of protein. Adam Tavin says he will “graze” all day, eating grilled chicken breasts and tilapia, as well as protein shakes. Every step counts, just as it does in product design. To get to the result where consumers want to buy your product and where you can manufacture at scale, you have to get every step right. Ignoring ergonomics is like eating at the Heart Attack Grill! Glossing over component quality and sourcing is like trying to win by starving yourself! It can’t be done. Meticulous obsession, day-after-day, is what leads to success – on-time, on-budget, with products that WOW!
  •  Be highly competitive and creative. Just because Adam Tavin talks about de-risking doesn’t mean that you give up creativity. In Bodybuilding, you have an imperative to try new training approaches to get that extra edge. The competition is brutal, just as it is in launching new products. Go all in. Be aggressive. Work hard ‘til it hurts. Failing is not an option! Passion is essential. De-risk your product development? Yes. But never accept the status quo, either. The secret is to stick to a meticulous process but to encourage new ideas and better solutions. The heart of innovation at Rabbit Product Design and for entrepreneurs everywhere is to bust your butt while looking forward, never backward. I like to think that’s not only why Adam Tavin has won Bodybuilding competitions, but also why Rabbit Product Design helps their clients win by launching successful products to the market.