Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship in Practice

Janja Song 2010

LEAP OF FAITH

By Janja Song, 2010

Last Friday we worked in our business groups on quick feasibility studies. It was a quick and fun exercise in observing, guessing, and testing. Ed, Harry, Thierry, and I went out to the student union bar and talked to students about their shoes.

What made you buy this pair of shoes?

Do you like them? Why?

Where do you shop for shoes? Why?

How much would you spend on shoes? Why?

These are just some of the questions we asked. We had very little time for this exercise and it is truly amazing how much information it is possible to collect in such a short time. And here is what we've learned:

Marianne is a foreign student who likes comfort and style. She bought this leather pair in Spain and did not spend much money on them. She likes them as they are comfortable and suit her fashion sense. She likes them as she can wear them with different outfits.

Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship in Practice

Janja Song 2010

Joe likes comfort, low prices, and likes to customise his trainers with colourful shoelaces.

Davina likes comfort, casual style and keeping her feet warm. She can't afford expensive shoes, so buys cheaper shoes. She likes this pair as she can wear them with many outfits. She'd have many more shoes if she could afford them.

Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship in Practice

Janja Song 2010

Melissa likes girly shoes and follows fashion trends. She is a student and can't afford pricey branded shoes, so buys cheap and wearable styles in Primark and River Island. She'd buy many different styles if she could afford them.

Daniela is a foreign student who loves fashion and wears a different pairs of shoes with each outfit. She loves expressing herself through her clothes and shoes.

Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship in Practice

Janja Song 2010

We then created a persona based on our research findings:

Annette is a foreign student who loves fashion and follows trends. She enjoys making statements with her fashion choices and personalised combinations of clothing and shoes. Annette changes her shoes often so that they always match her outfit. She will often customise her clothes and shoes to create more choice and make her overall appearance more interesting. She loves branded and fashion footwear, but finds it too expensive. As a student, Annette doesn't have a big budget to spend on clothing and shoes. She shops in Primark and RIver Island, and will spend between £25 and £30 on a pair of shoes.

With our persona created and her need for some cheap and customisable shoes identified, it was time to experiment with our idea through some quick and dirty prototyping that we could then test - in this case, with our fellow MACE teams.

WHY TALK ABOUT YOUR GUESS FOR HOURS - WHEN YOU CAN DO IT, FAIL IN TEN MINUTES, AND KNOW?

Our Leap of Faith: People want to be able to customise shoes.

Our Hypothesis: People will buy accessories for their shoes.

Our Success Metre: Success = 50% of people who buy the shoe also buy the accessories.

Danny and Christi are two girly friends who love UGG boots. Danny wears a pair of original UGGs, and Christi wears a pair of 'fake' UGGs. Christi would love to own a pair of 'real' UGGs, but can't afford them.

Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship in Practice

Janja Song 2010

!! ! !!!

And here is the prototype we created from my boot, belt, bracelet, tissues and Ed's phone - The uHUGG Shoe!

The uHUGG Shoe drawing (and some tissue glued to the paper with my lip balm)

Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship in Practice

Janja Song 2010

Accessories:

Detachable fur (white tissues)

A set of detachable rivets - the little black thing on the front of the shoe

A long adjustable leather strap - different colours and detail (the belt and the bracelet)

And finally, an iPhone pocket (we saw Bronwyn put her iPhone while walking in her boot just a few days ago)

!

As for the actual results of our experiment - our uHUGG shoe came out as a success! 75% of our test users - two MACE teams - confirmed that they would buy the shoe and its accessories.

Our Leap of Faith: People want to be able to customise shoes.

Our Hypothesis: People will buy accessories for their shoes.

Our Success Metre: Success = 50% of people who buy the shoe also buy the accessories.

Actual Results: 75% of people had positive responses to the shoe and its accessories

The only accessory that did not pass the test was the iPhone pocket, but then Bronwyn pointed out to us that we were asking the wrong question. Instead of asking our customers whether they would wear their iPhone in a shoe, we should have been asking if they'd wear their iPhone in a shoe if they had nowhere else to put it. Preparing and knowing how to ask the right and most relevant question makes all the difference!