Problem Statement

How might we enhance New Balance's shoe customization experience to empower sneaker-heads with unparalleled design control while ensuring rapid delivery and reinforcing our commitment to quality and innovation in the competitive sneaker market?

 

This project not only redefined the customer experience for New Balance but also reinforced the brand’s commitment to quality and innovation, solidifying its position in the competitive sneaker market.

 

Situation

In the highly competitive lifestyle category, New Balance needed to innovate its shoe customization experience to stand out against industry giants like Nike and Converse. The existing configurator was basic, and the sneakerhead community demanded more—something that would truly allow them to create their dream shoe.

 

Task

The challenge was to overhaul the customization experience, offering sneaker enthusiasts full control over their shoe designs while ensuring that the final product could be manufactured in the USA and delivered within two days—an edge over competitors who took weeks to deliver from overseas factories. With a business and technical go-live of 9 months.

 

Action

As the Group Creative Director, I assembled a specialized design team to tackle this ambitious project. We:

• Collaborated closely with New Balance corporate to ensure alignment and keep the project on track.

• Developed concepts that allowed users to interact with a virtual shoe, in ways never seen before.

• Defined the technical requirements to ensure that every user-designed shoe could be produced with the available materials and parts in New Balance’s USA factories.

• Ensured that the configurator offered three unique shoe designs with a wide variety of customization options, all while maintaining rigorous quality control standards.

• Select and oversee the creation of 2,200 individual images of each piece, part, texture, and color for initial design options.

 

Results

The launch of the revamped configurator was a game-changer for New Balance:

• The NB1 custom shoe line offered a superior customization experience, allowing users to design their own cleats and sneakers with a vast array of options.

• New Balance successfully delivered custom shoes to customers within two days, far outpacing competitors who took weeks to ship.

• The project generated significant buzz within the sneakerhead community, establishing New Balance as a serious contender in the customization market.

• We also created the experience to be app-driven so we could run it on kiosks in our premier stores.

​