Concept/Problem Statement

“Th ey can put a man on the moon, but they can’t put a woman in a sports bra that’s very comfortable ” (Miller, 1998, p. 2). Despite today’s technological advances, many physically active women are still unable to acquire comfort-able, supportive sports bras. Ramifi cations from the inability to locate a good, supportive bra can manifest itself in the refusal to exercise, breast dis-comfort or pain during exercise, and the irrevers-ible breakdown of breast tissue. Th ese problems are exacerbated for larger busted women. Design Process Th e team of Starr and Krenzer (2000) developed a prototype sports bra using the functional design process delineated in Watkins (1995) as a part of a graduate course in functional design. Th e literature review indicated that a sports bra should provide good upward support, limit breast motion, and be constructed from primarily non-elastic materials that are non-allergenic, non-abrasive, and have good moisture management properties. As part of the design process, a survey instrument was developed to evaluate users ’ perceptions of the fi t and performance of sports bras, determine de-sign preferences, obtain demographic information, and provide insight into the complex engineering problem involved in designing bras. Th e method of data collection was a self-administered question-naire for ease of distribution and for collecting the largest possible amount of data in the shortest time. As random sampling would not target specifi c lifestyles, a convenience sample of women who reg-ularly exercise was obtained primarily by personal contact, as well as via the Internet. Individuals were approached at local health centers as well as four individuals who were contacted by Internet, and asked to participate in the survey. A total of 122 questionnaires were distributed, and 82, includ-ing the four Internet surveys were returned for a response rate of 67%. Clothing characteristics tha