Case Overview
| Client |
High Performance Sport Center (HPSC) / Japan Sport Council (JSC) |
|---|---|
| Inquiry | Creating diagrams for a guide for athletes that explains the scientific basis of recovery and links recovery methods and facility information |
| Project Overview | We designed and produced a "Recovery Map" that systematizes the recovery methods and facility information across HPSC's multiple facilities so that athletes themselves can use them according to their goals |
| Period |
January – March 2026 |
About This Project
HPSC (High Performance Sport Center) is the central hub for sports medicine and science research and training operated by the Japan Sport Council (JSC), an independent administrative institution.
HPSC has multiple facilities for athletes to adjust their own condition, equipped with a diverse range of methods and equipment so that athletes can compete in their best condition.
However, because the information for each facility was scattered and not organized, athletes were in a situation where they could not quickly determine "where they could use a method suited to their own goals."
In recent years, attention to recovery (the multifaceted — physiological, psychological, and so on — recovery process that unfolds over time) has been rising as a means of maintaining and improving athletic performance. At the same time, "what is truly effective and how to incorporate it" is still not sufficiently understood, and against this backdrop, the very way of providing information grounded in scientific evidence was being called into question.
The initial request was, based on the materials below, "we want materials that can guide athletes to facility information so that they can access recovery methods grounded in scientific evidence." However, as we held repeated meetings, we came to organize our understanding that the essence of the challenge was not to list information, but to enable athletes to proactively choose and access recovery methods according to their own condition and goals.
What we produced this time, then, is the Recovery Map.
Aiming to elevate these materials from a mere facility guide into an athlete's "decision-making guide," we designed them as an A3 spread pamphlet that lets you intuitively judge "for what purpose, where, and what you can do."
The Recovery Map consists of two sheets: a goal-based sheet and a facility-based sheet.
The goal-based sheet organizes a diverse range of methods — meals, sleep, hot-water bathing, cold-water bathing, massage, foam rolling, aerobic exercise, cryotherapy, sauna, vibration therapy, and more — along seven goal axes: "pain reduction," "fatigue reduction," "power recovery," "muscle strength recovery," "flexibility improvement," "improved sleep onset," and "resting the body." The scientific basis for each method is also indicated on a three-level scale.
The facility-based sheet provides an at-a-glance list of each facility's equipment, whether reservations are required, and whether it is free or paid. Information spanning all facilities — JISS, NTC West, NTC East, and the Athletes' Village — is consolidated so it can be grasped on a single sheet.
The key points of this material's design are as follows.
① Elevating from a facility guide to a decision-making guide
Rather than stopping at presenting information such as "what facilities exist" and "what scientific evidence there is," we designed a structure that lets users search for methods starting from their goals — "what they want to achieve." We broadened the nature of the material from an introduction to information into a map that athletes use to make their own judgments.
② Adding a three-level evaluation of scientific evidence
We proposed clearly indicating the certainty of the scientific evidence for each recovery method on a three-level scale of high, medium, and low. Rather than "don't use it because the evidence is low," we embedded into the material an attitude of "knowing the certainty of the evidence and then choosing the method that suits you," creating a design athletes can use proactively.
③ Proposing a two-layer structure of goal-based / facility-based
Recognizing that the way people enter information differs from person to person, we proposed a two-layer structure of a "search for methods from goals" sheet and a "check equipment from facilities" sheet. We designed it so that both people with clear recovery goals and people who first want to learn from the facilities can reach the information they need from either entry point.
④ Adding a four-step usage guide
Beyond simply organizing information, we diagrammed how to use the material itself in four steps. We carefully designed the entry point to the material so that even athletes picking it up for the first time could use it without confusion.
The "Recovery Map" created this time is expected to promote the appropriate use of HPSC's facilities and an awareness of the importance of recovery. Being able to design an interface that connects the objective data of scientific evidence with athletes' subjective sense of purpose has given us a real sense of accomplishment as an attempt to convert the knowledge of sports science into more practical value.
[Production Cooperation] Graphic Designer Manami Ozawa
※This project was carried out as part of the Japan Sports Agency commissioned project "Project to Strengthen the HPSC Foundation Using Advanced Technologies."