Julie Yessin is an industrial designer who recently received her MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design. I first met Julie at the MCP 2007 Conference in Boston, and agreed to be the topic advisor for her thesis: “CREATING HOLISTIC CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS: The Role of Design in the Mass Customization Process”. Part of the thesis involved analysing the customer experience offered in the mass customisation of sports shoes, which she has kindly agreed to let me reproduce here:

I recruited three study participants, Stephanie, Corey, and Jordon, who are Industrial Design students at the Savannah College of Art and Design. The study has a slight bias since the students all said they would not have participated in the study if not given a fifty dollar compensation fee. As college students, they found the shoes to be expensive, but seized the opportunity to receive compensation so that they could purchase custom shoes at a lower price and have the experience of using their imagination to design customized footwear. At this stage in the development of customization, the early adopters are predominantly creative consumers who tend to be leading edge, and are intrigued by experimentation (Hippel, 2005). Although Nike is a brand that has a broad appeal, the NikeiD experience is clearly targeted to a younger demographic who are particularly interested in style. Therefore, it can be strongly argued that design students are ideal candidates for the study.

NikeID © Nike

The three students who participated in the study had never customized a product before, nor were they aware of MC before a description was provided during their introduction to the project. They began the process by opening an email which contained a listing of shoe websites that allow for customization. Each participant explored each site before deciding from which brand they wanted to work with. Both their interaction with the websites and the computer screen were simultaneously videotaped; this enabled me to review their actions as well as their facial expressions. Since the intention of the study was to conduct the research in context, the process took place in the participants’ homes at their computer desks, ie where they typically did online shopping. Interference to their normal routine was minimized: if they would normally snack, play music, or take breaks to chat with their friends online, they were free to do so. The idea was to create a comfortable, natural experience rather than for it to feel like a laboratory experiment.

Rbk Custom © Reebok

In the days following the creation/purchase process, Stephanie, Corey, and Jordon were asked to leave voicemail messages describing how they were feeling while they were waiting for their shoes to be delivered. This method of leaving voicemails was chosen for its simplicity and convenience rather than writing me emails explaining their emotions. When they thought about their shoes, they immediately called my cell phone and left voicemails expressing their excitement. The first few days after the participants made their purchases, they would leave messages at least every day. After about a week, they began to forget about their purchase, until they received update emails from the manufacturer. The emails stated where the company was in their process, such as when the order had been received, the time in which manufacturing had begun, and when the product was shipped. Once the participants received their shoes, they were anxious to see their creations so I immediately returned to their homes to capture on video their first impressions and watch their experience of opening the package. Lastly, interviews were conducted about the experience of wearing their new shoes, and whether they chose to share the story with their friends and family.

Stephanie’s Experience
Stephanie began by looking at Puma’s website Mongolian BBQ. She felt that the theme was “cute”, but found it difficult to use a site that was overloaded with slow Flash applications when trying to get something accomplished. After weighing her options, Stephanie selected a pair of Reebok high tops since she preferred their styles to the other brands. She felt the 3D images looked more realistic on Reebok’s website than Nike’s.

Stephanie with her shoe collection

Stephanie wished that there had been more friends around her to ask for their opinions regarding material and color. She would e-mail her potential designs to family members, and couldn’t help but ask me for my input. This lack of guidance, reassurance, and indecisiveness led her to work for over six hours on her design. Stephanie would take breaks so that she could come back to the computer screen with a fresh perspective. She even started over a few times so see if she could come up with a new design that she preferred. This strategy seemed to work for her creation process.

Stephanie’s first few voicemail messages showed her excitement for her purchase, but as time went on, she was a little worried at not receiving any emails from Reebok. She was not sure if the transaction went through. Eventually she did receive an email saying her shoes had been shipped, and expressed much joy the moment the shoes were delivered.

Stephanie received her Reebok shoes within 10 business days, compared to Nike’s four to six week time frame. The colors, specifically the metallic finish, did not match up to her computer screen, but she was happy overall with the results. She likes wearing her shoes, and says that many friends have asked where she purchased them. She tells them with pride that this is her design, and suggests that they can design their shoes to represent their own personal style. Knowing that her shoes are one of kind added to her satisfying experience.

Corey’s Experience
Corey glanced through the various websites quickly, and decided customize a pair of Nike’s, one of his favorite shoe brands. Like Stephanie, Corey also felt unguided throughout the process. It took him quite some time to pick out a shoe that most suited his style. Once he selected a style, he decided to use a color theme to represent his home state of North Carolina. Though he was only working with two colors, the process still took quite some time. He asked his friends that had stopped by what they thought of his shoe, providing him with reassurance and confidence in his design.

Corey with his shoe collection

Corey left the most messages out of all the participants due to his excitement to get his custom shoes and show them off to his friends. Quickly, his mood changed when he checked UPS online and saw tracking his shoes had been delivered, yet they were nowhere to be seen at his apartment’s doorstep. NikeiD does not require a signature to receive the package, and Corey had to file a claim with Nike. The excitement he expressed for his personally designed shoes turned to disappointment as he realized he would never see his customized shoes. He decided not to reorder his shoes, and looks back at the experience with frustration and bitterness.

Jordan’s Experience
Jordan’s customization experience was delayed since Nike’s website was down, but he knew before looking at the sites that Nike was the brand he wanted to customize. Jordan was probably the most intensely involved with the creation process and least talkative during his session. He focused intently on working with the website to come up with the “best” design to reflect his personality, taking his time with the experience, and commenting that this is how he would go about the process if he were not being observed. Jordan communicated with his friends through instant messenger, would pause for food breaks, and continued to work on his design the following day. He experienced some major complications in the user interface while making a purchase online, and because Jordan never saved his design on the site it meant he could not go back to view his design. On more than one occasion the shoe had to be completely “re-built”, which was easy because he knew exactly what colors went where, but the process was still time consuming.

Jordan with his shoe collection

Jordan left only a few messages. Like the others, his first few responses to the creation process made him excited about his purchase. However, after a few weeks passed, Jordon began to feel anxious and impatient. Once Jordon received his package, he instantly opened it and within minutes the shoes were on his feet. He wasn’t expecting the materials to all be the same, but was one hundred percent happy with his decision. Corey, his roommate, was frustrated with the situation since he never received his shoes. Jordon finally went to his room so that he could change his outfit to match his shoes, before going to school to complete his homework.

Jordan’s new shoes gave him more confidence and pride. His friends instantly noticed his new addition to his wardrobe, especially because his nickname was embroidered into the shoe. As time went on, Jordon stopped wearing his new shoes every day, as he felt the need to changes things up every now and then.

© Julie Yessin

Experience Study Analysis
Stephanie, Corey, and Jordon came across many of the same obstacles such as difficulties maneuvering around the interface to the point of frustration and the urge to progress to another site. When both Corey and Jordan began their process, they wanted to customize Nike shoes, but the site was down for maintenance, requiring the continuation of the process the following day. Stephanie also was off to a poor start after becoming very frustrated by the slow Flash animations of Puma’s website. In addition, all three participants had trouble understanding how to use the Mi Adidas site: none of them could work out how to select a shoe to customize. What all three overlooked was the text that said they must visit a Mi Adidas store to customize a pair of shoes.

Puma Mongolian Barbecue © Puma AG

Many of today’s user design systems fail to reach their potential to offer products that can be uniquely matched to customer needs. There is a mismatch between the knowledge of the consumers, and the decisions they are asked to make (Randall, Terwiesch, & Ulrich, 2003). Even though Stephanie, Corey, and Jordon are all designers, they felt a lack of direction and guidance in the selection process. They felt a need to ask their friends for opinions and to receive self-reassurance since they knew that once they clicked the purchase button, the shoe could not be altered after purchase. They also found that either there were not enough colors, or were overwhelmed with the amount of colors and materials that can be placed on the different sections of the shoe.

miAdidas © Adidias

Not only did all three students take a lot of time to select a shoe style, but they each spent hours working on a color scheme. They would fluctuate back and forth from frustration to excitement when they felt like they were starting to finalize some of their decisions. Stephanie struggled with not being able to see and feel her shoe, in order to visualize what the shoe would look like Stephanie held one of her own sneakers up to the screen to try to imagine what the new style would look like. She also went to extremes by standing up on her computer, holding her foot up to the screen, and having me hold up a full-length mirror so that she could get the full effect of what her shoes would look like on.

Companies should customize the customization process. It is ironic that companies like Nike and Dell that are at the forefront of the customization movement offer plenty of choices for the color of sneaker soles or the type of processor, but typically have only one choice of user interface for their user experience. During Jordan’s customization experience, he would open up multiple windows to compare a few different designs he was working on. It would be helpful if the website provided a side-by-side comparison to evaluate different configurations of design parameters and attributes. (Randall et al., 2003).

During the study, Stephanie said that she wished she could communicate with someone at Reebok that knew about the shoe styles, materials, and colors. She felt that there was little guidance throughout the process. From my in-store research it seems that NikeiD also sees the benefit of having a customer work with an expert. They allow an appropriate amount of time to meet with each customer individually. They guide them through the process, make suggestions, and reassure the customer that their decisions are sound, making them as comfortable as possible with their choices. The confidence that people gain throughout the in-store experience alleviates the concerns and mistakes that customers might experience.

Adobe Kuler © Adobe Systems Inc.

This kind of guidance could be replicated using online tools. Adobe’s Kuler website for example, could enable users to make more sophisticated color selections. However, this should be an option, so that if a user intentionally wanted to create a shoe that “clashes”, they would be free to do so. One solution to the online process that involves human interaction in real-time would be an instant message chat with a designer; by talking with an actual person through the Internet, the risk of uncertainty could be reduced. This person would act as an aesthetic agent, and could consist of industrial design professionals, “sneakerheads” for a company like Nike, or pro-skateboarders for companies that produce custom decks. An aesthetic agent would also benefit the customer’s experience by providing emotional confirmation about their design.

To understand customization in a retail environment, I visitied a number of shoe stores while in Manhatten. In contrast to Nike and Reebok, Mi Adidas, located in New York’s SoHo, only allows for customization of shoes in their store. Their focus on performance rather than style is evidenced by concerns with correctly assessing the customer’s foot. A three-step process includes measuring the foot, determining where the most pressure is placed on the foot so that proper cushioning can be added, and selecting materials and colors. However, when I first got in the store, I had to ask where the Mi Adidas section was located. A staff member pointed me in the right direction, but said I should first go to the front desk so that I could ask for the staff member that works in the customization department. When I think of customizing a shoe based on the foot’s measurements and stance, I envision advanced technology to enable the creation. However, the equipment did not seem high tech, and even the staff member, Janice, recognized this fact and told me that the store was planning to update the Mi Adidas equipment. The department did not seem to be a very popular part of the store, as no customers had come up to the display during my half-hour inquiry.

miAdidas in-store system © Adidas

Despite this tangible element of having your foot scanned and measured, individual molds are not made for each individual. What miAdidas really offers is measurement of one’s foot size, calculation of where supportive cushioning should be placed, and color options. The staff member selects the first two steps based on the customer’s measurements and the foot scan, and the customer selects the style preferences. To me, extra cushioning and the selection of colors did not warrant paying almost double the price for sneakers. Pine’s observation is salient here when he states that “Customers are not buying individuality; they are purchasing a product or service that fits exactly to their needs and desires.” (Piller et al., 2004) I was left wondering whether MiAdidas is a true form of mass customization when one is not quite configuring the product to meet specific needs, but merely selecting options of size, cushioning, colors, materials, and adding a few letters. Despite my poor experience, a lot of potential lies in people able to talk to an individual one on one about what type of product would fit best. Once I did locate the staff member, she did appear enthusiastic about the process, and gave me her full undivided attention.

Puma Mongolian BBQ in-store system © Puma AG

Puma’s Mongolian BBQ, located just a few blocks from the Adidas store, offered the most variety in terms of choices in colors and fabric swatches. However, once again I could not locate staff to assist me with the customization process. When I asked for assistance, I was told that the computer used for the customization process was not in service. Unlike Nike and Adidas, Puma’s customization was self-service, and it was suggested that I could go online to create my shoe. This made me frustrated, since I was planning on purchasing a pair of custom Puma’s. I was still able to feel the different swatces during my visit which added a tangible element, providing both physio and psycho pleasure. This allowed me to distinguish a relationship between the different materials and colors and determine the ‘best’ combinations. The stand was simple and highly tangible, but did not seem to get a lot of attention within the store, proving that many are still unfamiliar with mass customization. This could be due to the lack of communication of the experience within the store’s display. There was a lack of warmth in the experience, which differed greatly from my next customization experience at NikeiD.

Puma Mongolian BBQ in-store system © Puma AG. Image from Freshness Mag

NikeiD’s approach is quite different from Puma’s. The experience I had there was certainly the most impressive of the three stores that I visited. They had lively music, bright lighting, and a beautiful store display. In order to get in, a reservation needs to be made in advance, though you can see if there is availability if you are browsing within the store as well. Each one-on-one consultation lasts 45 minutes, and I felt much more guided during the process than at Adidas and Puma.

NikeID in-store system © Nike

The consultant made suggestions as to what colors he thought looked best, but did not attempt to sway my opinion from what I really wanted. The consultant I worked with said he never had training on colors; however, in London’s NikeiD store, the design consultants undergo a fourteen week training program that included meeting with a color psychologist (http://www.nikebiz.com/). NikeiD provides a picture printed on a business-card shaped piece of plastic, which provides something tangible that a customer can show their friends. NikeID was previously based in a small store in SoHo, and attempted to cultivate a much more exclusive image than now. Nonetheless, the fact that it is the only NikeiD store in the country and offers shoes that you cannot get on the NikeiD.com website adds a degree of exclusivity. NikeiD shows that, if done well, the in-store system has the potential to be inexpensive and to appeal outside the current ‘early adopter’ demographic.