In this episode of Why Design?, Chris Whyte sits down with Benn Klewpatinond, founder of Inond Design and the visionary behind the Floatrower fitness machine. Benn’s career is a fascinating mix of engineering, design, and entrepreneurship, spanning corporate roles, consultancy work, and now running his own product realisation business.

Benn shares his journey, from introducing inclusive design at Bristan to working on cutting-edge projects at LA Design, including the Floatrower—a rowing machine that combines the sensation of water rowing with innovative gamification and performance tracking.

The conversation dives deep into:

• The lessons learned from launching a groundbreaking fitness product.
• How to balance ambition and authenticity in design.
• The value of storytelling and personal branding for designers and engineers.

If you’re curious about how creativity meets practicality in physical product development or looking for insights into launching your own products, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways.

Key Takeaways:

• Building trust with stakeholders and clients is critical for product success.
• Taking risks, even later in your career, can lead to transformative outcomes.
• Storytelling and personal branding are as important as technical skills in design.
• Inclusive design can create meaningful, impactful products when championed effectively.
• Gamification and user experience are key to engaging products like the Floatrower.

Links & Resources:

• Learn more about Inond Design: https://www.inond.com/
• Connect with Benn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennklewpatinond/
• Connect with Chris Whyte on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Sign up for upcoming Why Design? events: teamkodu.com/events