A design strategy for stakeholders in fuzzy front-end of sports innovation
An opportunity for Adidas Adizero footwear innovation
P. Hsieh (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
LWL Simonse – Mentor (TU Delft - DesIgning Value in Ecosystems)
AJ Jansen – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Emerging Materials)
V. Perrin – Coach (Adidas AG)
S. Dempster – Coach (Adidas AG)
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Abstract
In this graduation thesis, the evolution of Adidas's product development process is explored, focusing on the introduction of a Adizero footwear Fuzzy Front-End aimed at enhancing brand credibility and user experience through agile, user-centric design methods. This stage, a crucial part of the development of Adidas Adizero Footwear, prioritizes functional prototypes and utilizes athletes’ performance data to inform design before products enter the marketing phase.
An in-depth context analysis illuminates Adidas’ intricate organizational structure, brand categorization, and the history and innovative essence of the Adizero franchise. This analysis lays the groundwork for exploring the fuzzy front-end (FFE) stage, where challenges such as neglect of individual consumer needs and complexities in the initial development stages are underscored, and opportunities like well-balanced stakeholder engagement, participatory design methods, and data-enabled engagement approaches are identified.
In seeking to resolve identified challenges, novel stakeholder engagement strategies are devised, promoting dynamic understanding and interaction amongst stakeholders beyond traditional managerial definitions. Innovative tools and methods, such as the ‘Superpower Element Sticker,’ are developed to encourage co-creation and facilitate the formulation of new engagement strategies. At the same time, analyses and pilot testing sessions ensure the practical applicability of proposed solutions.
This research highlights the delineation of a novel conceptual design framework, aimed at enabling effective multi-stakeholder co-creation in the Fuzzy Front-end of Adizero Footwear. Then a new process design, based on the conceptual design framework in a co-creation workshop, integrates innovative data tunnels allowing varied stakeholders, including consumers, marketers, and developers, to actively contribute insights and refine the design throughout different seasons and stages of footwear creation. Emphasizing clarity and data visualization, this proposed framework, while innovative, necessitates strategic navigation through technological constraints and alignment with Adidas's methodologies to ensure feasibility and optimal contribution to the enhancement of the footwear design process.