5 Design Lessons I’ve Learned From Watching Too Much Shark Tank
I am a huge fan of Shark Tank, the long running reality tv show on ABC. On the show, entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas and prototyped products to a panel of wealthy investors, nicknamed the Sharks, in an attempt to make a deal. Sometimes, none of the Sharks are interested in the pitch, and at other times, all five Sharks engage in a high stakes bidding war. Over the years, Shark Tank has featured the creative designs of hundreds of inventors, so I’m going to share some of my favorite products that I’ve seen on Shark Tank and what they teach us about the design and prototyping process.
Figure 1: The Sharks await a new business pitch
Haven Door Lock - Look at the Problem From Another Angle
If you’ve ever watched an action movie starring Tom Cruise, you know that locked doors can be kicked down almost effortlessly. As the creators of Haven door lock claim, this is due to the weak design of the traditional deadbolt. A deadbolt uses a small metal bit to secure the entire door from the side, which is fine for everyday use, but not good enough to ward off burglars who like wearing their door-kicking boots. To solve this problem, the creators of Haven literally looked at the problem from a different angle.
Figure 2: The Haven Door Lock
The Haven door lock is positioned on the bottom of the door and secures a much larger area than a deadbolt. This gives the lock a greater mechanical advantage and is a genius reworking of an everyday object. Many times, if we just reorient our designs and ask why a certain component is in a certain place, then greater advantages can be found.
RokBlok - A New Use for Old Technology
The RokBlok is my personal favorite Shark Tank invention. Chris Randall, the inventor, loved listening to his vinyl collection but hated how his record player was large, heavy, and a huge hassle to transport. Listening to a record in the park with his friends was impossible, until he made the RokBlok. Instead of spinning the record like a traditional turntable, the RokBlok sits on top of a stationary record and goes around the record like a car on a race track. The RokBlok is small, light, easily transportable, and cheaper than most other traditional turntables.
Figure 3: The movement of a RokBlok around a record
The genius of the RokBlok’s design lies in the fact that it didn’t invent new technology. It used already existing technology in an unprecedented way to provide a more accessible and convenient experience for longtime vinyl fans and newcomers alike. Rearranging a couple of components to make any design more versatile and accessible can turn a good design into a great one.
Chris Randall originally went into the tank seeking $300,000 for 15% of his company, but after impressing the Sharks with his ingenious design, he ended up accepting an offer from Robert Herjavec for $500,000 for 100% of his company, a six figure salary for 2 years, and a $5 royalty for each RokBlok sold. You can still buy a RokBlok today, but it might take a few months to get your own since they frequently sell out.
Passion Footwear Convertible High Heel - Marrying Two Ideas
I have never worn high heels in my life, and I hopefully will never have to, but I’ve definitely heard many complaints about how they are terribly uncomfortable if worn for long periods of time. To solve this problem, Haley Pavone of Passion Footwear made a convertible high heel that combines the appearance of high heels with the comfort of flats by using a removable heel and arch support (see picture below). When the heel and arch support are removed, the flexible rubber sole loses its arched shape and lies flat on the ground, effectively turning the high heels into flats. This makes it so you can wear these high heels to a wedding, and then easily take out the heel so you can comfortably cut a rug on the dance floor afterwards.
Figure 4: Passion Footwear Convertible High Heel
While I’m not the target audience of this product, I can still appreciate that instead of making a completely brand new item, Passion Footwear just combines two previously existing items. Sometimes, the strengths of one design can perfectly cover up the weaknesses of another when combined correctly.
I Want To Draw A Cat For You - Less Is More
Figure 5: The I Want To Draw A Cat For You website logo
What if I told you that a guy whose business was drawing pictures of cats in his basement would be able to convince Mark Cuban to invest? It sounds a bit preposterous, but that is exactly what the founder of iwanttodrawacatforyou.com did. The name of Steve Gadlin’s website is pretty self explanatory; he really wants to draw cats for everyone. When you go on his website, you type in what kind of cat picture you would like. You can request anything from a cat riding a Tyrannosaurus Rex to a cat playing chess with a dog while wearing a sombrero. After receiving a request, he draws the picture, posts the drawing on his website, and then mails it out. Back when he pitched this idea in 2012, he was charging $9.95 for each drawing.
Figure 6: A typical drawing from iwanttodrawacatforyou.com
Mark Cuban, a Shark on the show, saw how scalable and low risk the idea was (the only costs were paper, markers, envelopes, stamps, and website maintenance) and thought the publicity from being on the show would be enough alone to make back his investment, so he bought 33% of the company for $25,000. Mark Cuban was right, and he and Steve Gadlin both made their money back and then some. Nowadays, Steve charges $30 per drawing and his cat drawing skills are booked out for months. While I Want to Draw a Cat For You isn’t a prototype like the other Shark Tank pitches discussed in this article, it is a prime example of ‘less is more’. Steve Gadlin recognized his skills and used his resources to provide a service to others while using nothing but some markers, paper, and a creative website. Oftentimes as engineers and designers, we over complicate things when keeping it simple is by far the best route.
Snactiv - Design What You Love
I couldn’t stop smiling when I first watched Kevin Choi and Edwin Cho pitch Snactiv on Shark Tank. Kevin and Edwin are two guys who share two things in common with a large percentage of engineers: they work on computers all day and they love snacks. They hated when their keyboards got messy from when they were snacking while working, so they designed the ultimate no-messy-fingers snacking experience.
Figure 7: How the Snactiv works
The Snactiv is essentially a set of miniature finger chopsticks that makes it so you don’t have to physically touch your snacks with your fingers while typing, preventing Cheeto dust and other messy snacks from getting on your keyboard. While watching their pitch, you can tell how much they love using their product and advocating for it, which I think is the ultimate secret to designing success. They love what they do and they are completely invested in it, which makes their product all the better. Whatever you design, make sure your heart is in it.
Kevin and Edwin had their hearts in it, as well as a Hart in it (please forgive me for that horrible pun), since Kevin Hart and Lori Greiner made a joint deal with them for $200,000 in exchange for 20% of their company. Snactiv is still alive and well and is having lots of success in North America as well as Asia.
Conclusion
Every time after I watch a clip from Shark Tank, I am convinced that I can change the world with my own prototype idea. I love how Shark Tank has injected an entrepreneurial spirit into pop culture and constantly encourages innovation. Hopefully taking a look at these inventions and their associated design lessons gives you the inspiration you need to change the world and get a Shark to bite on your idea.
Watch Each Product Pitch Below
Haven Door Lock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D83MdEeYe6g&t=159s
RokBlok: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKWtZnJvPL4
Passion Footwear Convertible High Heel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvtN7Do9FRs
I Want To Draw A Cat For You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa27pPbtdKs
Snactiv: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJRO3CveD4k
To cite this article:
Ipsen, Blake. “5 Design Lessons I’ve Learned From Watching Too Much Shark Tank.” The BYU Design Review, 28 April 2025, https://www.designreview.byu.edu/collections/5-design-lessons-ive-learned-from-watching-too-much-shark-tank.
