The DUO series was the first project I worked on for SPORTLINE. Prior to this, they had mainly sourced the case designs from their manufacturers, but that had not provided them with the level of sophistication they needed for this type of product.

Given this product's placement in the market, we had to look for ways to increase the perceived value without increasing the product cost. Consistent with this, we paid careful attention to how we could apply "free" details (that is to say, for example, details like multiple finishes in the same mold). What we settled on was a detail story where we applied glossy finish details and contrast those with a satin/matte finish. This was used on both the case and the strap and helps create a feeling where the customer believes there is more to the material than just a contrast in finish.

The DUO series features a dual-option heart rate read....either constant read via a chest strap (chest straps are an industry standard for HRMs) or the wearer can simply place a finger on the metal top plate and get a quick reading without the belt.  We decided the best way to showcase this was to really expand the amount of metal covering the case (the technology actually allows for much smaller contact surfaces), thus placing the focus of the product on this particular feature.

Shortly after this product was launched, the series was outselling both POLAR and TIMEX in this price range at multiple sport-specialty retailers.