Bringing an Innovative Smart Basketball Hoop into a Digital Age.
Huupe is a smart basketball system that transforms the way athletes train and play. Combining connected hardware with a mobile experience, Huupe enables players to track performance, receive coaching, and engage with the sport in entirely new ways.
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The Challenge
Basketball players often lack access to advanced training tools outside of professional facilities. Huupe sought to democratize the game by creating a “smart hoop” that combined sensors, analytics, and mobile software to deliver professional-level insights at home.
The challenge lay in unifying complex hardware, data processing, and mobile applications into a seamless product. The platform needed to deliver real-time feedback and video coaching while remaining intuitive enough for players of all ages. It also had to handle scalability, ensuring consistent performance across thousands of connected devices.
Our Approach
We collaborated with Huupe to design a system that bridged hardware and software into one cohesive experience. Our team worked on both the mobile interface and the supporting systems that would process and surface real-time basketball data.
Working with our stakeholders, we workshopped potential demo experiences that could function with a minimal event team running a booth with a prototype Huupe. We needed to understand how to create an intuitive and simple flow from the phone to the Huupe, then back to the phone. We came up with a kiosk-like experience to use a tablet or smartphone as a check-in experience for players wanting to try the Huupe. This simple experience let a user quickly sign up and then try out a shooting challenge. During or after a player participating in a shooting challenge, the next player could sign up and see how much time left the current player had. To keep things competitive, a local leaderboard was visible on the phone and the Huupe itself.
The mobile app was built to complement the smart hoop, offering analytics, training programs, and coaching sessions. By using an Agile Development Process, we iterated quickly, aligning tightly with Huupe’s hardware team to ensure seamless integration. The result was a robust, user-first product that elevated the entire training experience.
- Designed UI/UX for mobile companion app
- Built real-time feedback systems for analytics and coaching
- Integrated with hardware sensors for seamless user experience
- Developed scalable infrastructure for connected devices
The Impact
Huupe launched as one of the first smart basketball systems to combine hardware and software into a holistic experience. The platform gained attention from both athletes and media, positioning itself as a game-changer in sports technology.
Players reported improved training outcomes, increased engagement with the app’s coaching features, and appreciation for the product’s polished design. The system set a new standard for at-home sports technology, blending innovation with accessibility.
Our collaboration with Huupe led to significant achievements as funding starting coming in. The integration of our app with the Huupe enabled successful demos at NBA games and other events, showcasing the product’s capabilities to a wide audience. The project garnered investments from prominent figures in and around the NBA— and an appearance on SharkTank— validating its potential in the market. Furthermore, the launch of pre-orders was met with glowing reviews from early customers, highlighting the product’s ease of use and innovative features.
- Strong early adoption among athletes and enthusiasts
- Increased training efficiency through data-driven insights
- Positive media coverage highlighting innovation in sports tech
- Positioned Huupe as a category leader in connected fitness
Project Review
Dan Hayes
CTO Huupe
“They helped us bring a truly ambitious product to life. Their expertise in both design and development made the Huupe system not just functional, but extraordinary. Their project manager was responsive when I needed him and their staff augmented my team well.”
