orienteering shoe design & development final 183.401 presentation
TRANSCRIPT
Orienteering ShoeDesign & Development
Final 183.401 Presentation
Overview• Project Brief
• Current Marketplace
• Concept Generation• Consumer Feedback• Development of the Design
– Prototyping
• Manufacturing Techniques and Cost• Marketing Techniques and Cost
• Conclusion
Project Brief
• To design and develop a durable orienteering shoe to address the current short comings in design– Lack of grip within the arch region of the foot
– Construction Quality
• Whilst ensuring the same features of the incumbents– Superb traction over multiple terrain types
– Comfort Through Cushioning
Current Marketplace
Market Size
• Through numbers obtained from the IOF– 67 member nations
– 5000 clubs
– 450,000 club members
– Estimated to be 1 million orienteers worldwide
• From the IOF World Ranking Site– ~2300 runners
– 40% from Scandinavia
Current Marketplace
Major Competitors
• Silva– K120
• Flawed Design, however the idea is
innovative
– K100• Bullet-proof Shoe, still Silva’s best
seller
• VJ– Twister
• A rival to the K100 in the most
popular shoe category
Initial Research
• Initial consumer research was undertaken– Lead User Groups
– Internet Forums
• Maptalk - Australasian
• Nopesport - International (UK)
• Attackpoint - International (US)
• Resulting in ideas such as – Arch Spikes to aid in traversing thinnings
– Adjustable Spike Length
– Hardwearing material upon the medial side
– Grip upturns to aid in contouring
– Improved adhesion between the uppers and
the sole
Concept Generation
• Six completely differing concepts were generated each looking at different aspects in– Aesthetic Design
– Features
– Grip Design
• Were taken to consumers for feedback through– Lead User Group
– Focus Group
– Conjoint Analysis
Consumer FeedbackFocus Group
• Mixed Responses to some of the proposed ideas– Arch Spikes
– Adjustable Spike Length
• Enthusiasm for the lace cove– Would need to be tested
• Aesthetics was not a major sicking point
• Pronation support was determined to be essential
Consumer Feedback
Conjoint Analysis
• Built up of Eight Cards– Arch Spikes
– Lace Cover
– Adjustable Spikes
– Pronation Support
• Placed upon an internet survey site– Limited questions
– Provided easy to download graphs
Consumer Feedback
Conjoint Analysis – Results
• Results mirrored those from the focus groups
• Adjustable Spike Length - 48%• Arch Spikes - 52%• Lace Cover - 64%• Pronation Support - 82%
• Northern & Southern Hemisphere responses were similar
Development
Computer Aided Design
• Shoe was designed using SolidWorks– Allows for easy alterations
after testing– Photo rendering
capabilities– Files can be easily sent to
• Rapid Prototyper• Other CNC machines
Development
Prototyping
• The prototyping process was largely a trial and error process
• Three distinct areas that needed to be constructed– Outer Sole
– Midsole
– Upper
• Materials were hard to come by thus some compromises had to be made to ensure the successful completion of the prototype
Prototyping
Outer Sole - 1st Attempt
• FDM plug was created that would be inserted into a bed of plaster– In theory a cheap method of creating the negative mould for the soles
• Issues with this technique – The plugs acted as a impervious barrier preventing the air from drying
the plaster
– Resulting in a soft centre when the plugs were removed
• New technique had to be found
Prototyping
Outer Sole – 2nd Attempt
• Still using the FDM plug however the plug was placed upwards and covered with plaster
• In theory the plaster being exposed to the air would ensure drying before subsequent layers of plaster
• Issues with this technique – The copious amounts of release wax did not act as it should have,
preventing the removal of the plug
– As the plaster stuck to the plug, hunks of the negative mould were pulled out.
Prototyping
Outer Sole – 3rd Attempt
• Through the use of a start up company Objective Design the soles were prototyped directly in a rubber compound
• Ensuring that what you sent to be prototyped was indeed what was produced
• Alterations were made to the CAD file at this stage to ensure that the metal dobb spikes wouldsecurely fit into the resulting outer sole
• The material however was not as robust as it wasenvisaged, thus a full terrain testing process would not be feasible
Prototyping
Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Midsole
• EVA material was kindly provided by Ultralon in Christchurch
• The sole had to be cut to a profile hence a jig had to be set up to ensure the correct profile was achieved
• Pronation support was added using a denser EVA
Prototyping
Upper
• Again a lot of learning on the run whilst prototyping
• Patterns were made through laying paper on top of a donor shoe– Tested three times to ensure the best possible fit
• Patterns translated onto the various materials
• Assembly of the different parts to create the upper.
Prototyping
Manufacturing
Initial Small Run Manufacturing
• A ‘LEGO’ set of last sizes and studs to create individualised stud patterns.
• TopMark materials used to create both the mould and the sole– Ultrasil
– Flexicast
• Ultralon EVA used for the midsoles
• Uppers Created from Schoeller Keprotec– Material found in motorcycle safety gear
Manufacturing
Product Price $NZD $NZD/Pair Ultrasil Moulding Compound $ 371.50 – 5kg $ 8.25 Flexicast 85A Urethane $ 242 - 7.1kg $ 60.50 Standard FDM “LEGO” Blocks $ 60 $ 0.60 FDM Last shape $ 30 Dependant
Soles
Ultralon EVA $ 80.83 $ 6.75 Coated Rip-Stop Material $ 20 $ 1.60 Schoeller Keprotec $ 50 $ 7.15 Uppers Sabaplast 5817 $ 25.50 $ 0.51
Spikes Tungsten Donor Spikes - - Total Raw Shoe $ 854.34 $ 85.36 With Shipping $ 135.36
Manufacturing
Modularisation
• The conjoint analysis had three features with a 50/50 split opening the door for consumer co-design & modularisation
• Thus the shoe was designed thinking about the possibility of modular designs– The soles have capacity for nuts to be inserted – adjustable spike length
– Lace cove is just an extended pattern of the standard tongue
– Using the ‘LEGO’ approach arch spikes could be left off moulds
• Modular design also lends itself to agility– A much needed aspect in the ever changing footwear marketplace
Marketing
Techniques
• Advertisement in Print Media– Skogssport– Orienteering Today– Compass Sport
• Web Banners– Orienteering Today
• Website – Consumer Co-Design
• Sponsored Athletes– The creation of a group of young orienteers on the verge of elite status– Sponsored Racing Kit– Subsidised event entry Fee
Marketing
Techniques – Consumer Co-Design
• Web based set up that allows consumers to create their own shoe design– Arch Spikes
– Adjustable Spikes
– Customised Colours/Text
• Would create an avenue for individualisation for a start up company
• Would require modular manufacturing techniques
Marketing
Marketing Method Duration Price $NZD Initial Yearly
Skogssport 4 issues 1/3 page
- $ 1,230
Orienteering Today 4 issues 1/3 page
- $ 1,510 Print Media
Compass Sport (UK) 4 issues ¼ page - $ 1,270 Web Banners Orienteering Today 2 x 4months - $1,590
Adobe Photoshop $ 1,200 - Adobe Dreamweaver $ 670 - Domain name - $ 40
Website
Web ISP - $ 360 Shoes - - $ 4,545 Orienteering Kit - $ 1,500 - T-Shirts - - $ 300 Tent - $ 590 - Flags/Banners - $ 200 -
Sponsored Athletes
Subsidised Entry Fess - - $ 5,000 Total $ 4,160 $15,845
Marketing
Financials
• After the first year of production having sold 115 shoes at $245• 5% of the elite community the financials of the company would look
like
First 12 months of operation $ NZD Income from 115 pairs + $ 28,175 Manufacturing Costs - $ 10,086 Marketing Cost - $ 20,005 Total - $ 1,916
Financials
• The following year assuming the production could handle twice the number of orders ensuring the market share of 10%
Second 12 months of operation $ NZD Income from 145 pairs + $ 35,525 Manufacturing Costs - $ 12,720 Marketing Cost - $ 15,845 Yearly Total $ 6960 Company Total $ 5044
On Selling
• Thus for the shoe to really flourish it would need to be picked up by a major manufacturer such as Silva or VJ
• As for the shoe to successfully enter the market the cost of either the manufacture or the marketing campaigns need to be significantly reduced
• Enquiries have been made through
both the local importers with very little
response from either manufacturer.
Conclusion
• A durable orienteering shoe designed and developed– Through the consultation of end users
• Development process followed through– Concept Generation
– Development through CAD
– Prototype Constructed
– Testing of Key Features
• For the shoe to be developed further the idea really needs to be picked up by a manufacturer
Questions ?