DSGN Lab

A service innovation for Dicks Sporting Goods where customers can customize their shoes in-store

Service Design

Fall 2022, 7 Week Project

Teams were tasked with analyzing the current Dicks Sporting Goods product service system (PSS) and design a service innovation with an in-store component that caters to the unmet needs of key stakeholders.

After much research and iteration, my team pitched DSGN Lab, an in-store service experience that allows customers to customize and personalize their shoes.

Research Methods

Guerilla research
PESTLE analysis
Digital ethnography
Fly on the wall observations
Intercept interviews
Competitor analysis
Usability testing

My Role

Conducted guerilla research, intercept interviews, and fly on the wall observations amongst 2 other team members
Led data analysis, affinity clustering, and insight generation
Supported usability testing sessions
Acted as lead designer throughout entirety of project

Our Process

1 | Dove into Desktop Research

Through PESTLE analysis & digital ethnography, we looked into macro-environmental factors impacting the sporting goods industry today

The Opportunity

Through our research we uncovered that:

GenZ and women were identified as gaps within DSG's customer segment
40% of consumers will comprise of GenZ within the next 5 years
74% of all footwear spends occurs online
“Demand for customization will grow in consumer sector” according to McKinsey

How might we help GenZ move away from their screens and give up the convenience of delivery to come to Dicks Sporting Goods?

The Solution

Through our research, we learned that Genz users value individuality and have an appetite for customization.

With that knowledge, we proposed DSGN Lab, a shoe customization station within Dicks Sporting Goods, where customers can own their own style.

Service Blueprint

Dicks Sporting Goods enables customers to customize their shoes by providing them inspiration to create designs, tools for customization, guidance from store employees.

VALUE FLOW

Value is co-created between customers and employees

Lessons Learned

1 | The Value of a Team Charter

Our team was a mix of user researchers, human computer interaction, and business students, all with different workstyles and skillsets. To ensure that we stayed on track and delivered a high quality service innovation, we developed a team charter, which helped us kick off on the right foot.

One lesson learned was the importance of revisiting the team charter as a group and re-aligning on team expectations after key milestones to ensure inclusive and equitable work distribution.

Dina Kaganer