Concept for an in-store experience that leverages a person's network for customized shopping suggestions. This was in response to the ask: "Design an ecosystem that better connects a physical, brick and mortar store – Dick’s Sporting Goods – with the larger E-commerce landscape to be implemented within the next year."
This project was done in collaboration with Sapient Nitro, and was chosen as finalist to present to the Sapient Nitro UX team in a video conference.
My teammates for this project were Robyn Evans and Liz Mikolaj. This is one of the projects for Marty Siegel's Rapid Design for Slow Change course at Indiana University Bloomington.
2. Meet Tysha
Competitive Social Trendy
Tysha is a talented young athlete. She recently
became the starting outside hitter for her highschool volleyball team. The added pressure makes
her a bit nervous, but she is excited for the chance to
prove herself. This is a big opportunity for Tysha, as
college recruiters might be showing up to the games.
Tysha has been involved in sports all her life, and
was often seen with her father and brothers lobbing
volleys in the front of the house. Like a lot of 17
year olds, she also enjoys spending time with her
teammates outside the court, and sometimes goes to
the mall with them after practice.
“I need the best equipment to
perform. I’m lucky my parents
are so supportive.”
3. Tysha’s Journey
/ Coach
knows best
During practice today, Coach G
told Tysha to get some special
equipment to help her improve
her coordination and peripheral
vision. She would love to get
some new accessories as well,
like the new Nike shoes Marie
brought to practice today.
4. Tysha’s Journey
/ Get in, get out
So Tysha goes to Dick’s Sporting
Goods with her mom. When they
arrive Tysha notices the display
in the Volleyball section, and as
she starts interacting with it, she
finds Coach G’s list.
5. Meet Hank
Casual Social Thrifty
Hank has just started his first major job since
graduating college. In order to get closer to his
co-workers and make new friends, he’s joined his
company’s softball league. He played some baseball
in high school, but hasn’t played much since, so he’s
unsure of how things have changed in the past five
years or so.
Despite having a steady job, Hank is still just starting
out. He doesn’t want to spend too much money and
relies on others to let him know about the best deals.
“I love technology, but I love
deals even more.”
6. Hank’s Journey
/ Some
suggestions
His buddy Jeff is also in the
league, and creates a list of
equipment Hank should have
before their game at the end
of the month. Hank received
this list via email, showing an
itemized view of the equipment,
and a barcode at the bottom.
So Hank starts looking for the
items on Dick’s sporting goods
website, and decides he would
like to try on a couple of things
before he buys them.
7. Hank’s Journey
/ Check-in,
check-out
So he goes to the store and tries
to find the items in his list, he
scans the barcode at the bottom
of the list, which serves as a
check-in. He is then pointed
in the general direction of the
equipment by the kiosk.
8. Hank’s Journey
/ Over here!
As he walks around the store to
try to find his items, he notices
that as he approaches one of the
items on his list, the dynamic
price tags on the displays
change color, and alert him he
has found them. “This is cool!”
!
!
Not only does he find his friend’s
suggested items, but nearby
there are alternatives in a couple
different price ranges.
!
9. Meet Richard
Novice Established Spendy
Richard has been working for several years now,
and has made it far in the time he’s worked for his
company. Unfortunately he did not focus much on
his health while he built his career, so he is worried about being able to keep up at work and staying
sharp.
Some of his fellow board members started running
and exercising, and suggested he starts as well. But
where should he begin?
“Technology gives me a
headache. I’ll use whatever
else I can to get in shape.”
10. Richard’s Journey
/ Runner who?
Richard thinks running is
something he might enjoy. So
he goes to the store, and notices
a boutique section in the corner
that is all about running.
11. Richard’s Journey
/ Expert Advice
Richard then talks to the
assistant around the running
section and he brings up a
recommended set of items for
starter runners in a display. So
Richard gets a personalized
experience, as well as the full
attention of an expert in-store.
12. Customer Landscape
/ People like to find things on their own
Whether with the aid of a phone or not, most people do not rely on sales associates.
/ Too many choices paralyze decisions
It is much easier to make a decision when the choices are already narrowed.
/ Friends & coaches have trusted opinions
Though sales associates have expertise, friends and coaches may be considered a more
trusted source of information and suggestions.
13. Where to start? Online I can search, how do I find things?
What to choose? There’s so many choices!
How to decide? What’s the best choice?
Leverage a person’s network to create customized
suggestions and responsive displays at local stores.
14. Objectives
/ Focus Attention
Draw the customer to areas to better equip themselves for their seasonal sport.
/ Situate in the Community
Utilize local/regional heroes and sports teams to foster the localized nature of stores.
/ Establish Trust
Gather suggestions from coaches, teammates, and trusted friends in a way that can be
accessed on multiple channels.
15. Strategy
/ 10% - Lists
with Friends
- Organize store displays
according to product’s popularity
- Enable list creation and
sharing among people via web
and mobile
16. Strategy
/ 50% - In-store
Sensors
- In-store check-in, pairing user’s
lists with proximity sensors
across the store to help users
find items by themselves
- Implement dynamic price
displays to respond to user’s
proximity
- Enable sharing of lists via
social network integration
17. Strategy
/ 100% - Season
Boutique
- Seasonal boutiques in the
corner of the store, focusing on
sports that are active during that
time
- Implement large interactive
displays in store, to show action
videos of local/regional athletes
- People can find additional
information about the products
features depicted in the videos
by interacting with the displays
18. Appendix
/ Primary
Research
During our visit to Bloomington’s
DSG store, we noticed some
areas in that had a kind of
boutique setup already. However,
the setup focused on gathering
all the equipment, rather than
providing a pleasant and
engaging experience.
19. Appendix
/ Primary
Research
In the case of golf, there were
some areas to test the equipment
before buying it. However, not
as much attention was paid to
the team sports, which aside
from organization in specific
aisles did not attempt to create a
unique consumer experience.
20. Appendix
“From day one, be untouchable”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2pa38Ggbr0
/ Primary
Research
We also looked at DSG’s
advertising campaigns of the
last year to ensure our concepts
embody the message that DSG is
where people can find all their
equipment.
“Never missed a game”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9ZQXJOZu8w
21. Appendix
Intel + Frog: http://www.frogdesign.com/work/intel-pos.html
“When Intel approached frog to think of a new retail point-of-sale
concept, the company was hoping to show what the convergence
of online and real-world shopping could look like.”
“The kiosks can give customers a depth of detail… comparable to
what they can find in shopping on the Internet.” – The New York
Times
Amore Pacific display: http://www.frogdesign.com/work/amorepacific-retail-display.html
“The Amore Pacific store is a pioneering example of creating
an interactive, immersive environment in a retail setting using
motion-sensors, computer graphics, projectors, and directed
sound. Instead of static displays or basic interactive kiosks, the
store detects where customers are and projects imagery based
on their motion and the products they are standing in front of to
create an engaging—and informative—experience.”
Victoria’s Secret display: http://www.frogdesign.com/work/
victoria-secret.html
“Getting passers by to stop and watch video of Victoria’s Secret
models was not difficult. The challenge was creating customers
out of these people by drawing them deep into the store. The
videos needed to be both part of the retail experience and a sales
tool.”
/ Secondary
Research
We were inspired by several
exemplars, which embodied the
type of engaging experience we
wanted.
22. Appendix
Intel Digital signage: http://www.frogdesign.com/work/inteldigital-signage.html
“ look broadly at the topic of using digital signs in retail and
public environments”
“Together with Intel, frog’s team settled on a concept that
addressed the fact that customers often need to be more selfreliant in stores today. The design involves two 7-foot-tall foot
panels bound at the center like a book. These elegant glossy white
frames with bamboo accents house cutting-edge technology to
create an experience that people find quite magical.”
/ Secondary
Research
We were inspired by several
exemplars, which embodied the
type of engaging experience we
wanted.
