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02 / Zero-to-one product · Rider research · Positioning

Shandoka

As founding designer on a three-person team, I researched what riders want in an electric motorcycle, designed a new line from that evidence and shaped how the company positioned itself to investors.

Role
Founding designer on a three-person team
The gap
Development → brand. Product and story risked splitting.
The bet
Treat product design and go-to-market as one system.
Proof
Rider evidence behind the new line · positioning for the funding round
Shandoka010203040506
Role
Founding Designer
Team
Three-person electric-mobility startup
Scope
Industrial design · Product strategy · Brand positioning · GTM · Digital experience
Market
Electric motorcycles + conversion kits
Tools
Gravity Sketch · KeyShot

The handoff gap

Development →Brand

  1. 01MarketOpportunity + user context
  2. 02Product strategyRoadmap + priorities
  3. 03VehicleConcept + architecture
  4. 04DevelopmentRefinement + production intent
  5. 05BrandPositioning + identity
  6. 06LaunchDigital + GTM

Where it brokeThe team was defining the vehicle, the brand and the launch sequence at the same time, so physical product decisions and the market story could drift apart.

The repairOne founding designer owned both sides, connecting product decisions with positioning, identity and the customer-facing experience.

The product and the market story had to develop together.

Shandoka had two products in motion: a conversion kit designed by the CEO, and a completely new electric motorcycle. I started with the market: what riders look for in an electric motorcycle, and where product-market fit could be. That evidence defined the new line’s shape. I designed the full line of concepts in Gravity Sketch and KeyShot, translating engineering constraints into product forms and features riders would see. I also did the brand identity, the website and the launch planning. Running both products side by side is what forced the question of how to position the company, just as it went looking for funding.

Decision log

  1. Obvious move
    Finish the vehicle first, then brief a brand and launch afterwards.
  2. Why not
    The company was raising money. Investors needed a clear position while both products were still being designed.
  3. The bet
    Research riders first, let that evidence shape the new motorcycle, and build the company’s positioning around the kit and the motorcycle together.
  4. The tell
    Rider research, backed by data, set the motorcycle’s shape.

Proof

  • 3People on the founding team
  • 2Products · conversion kit + new motorcycle

I can shape a product and its market story together, from concept to launch plan.