Orienteering Shoe Design

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Orienteering ShoeDesign Development

• Final 183.401 Presentation

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Overview

• Project Brief
• Current Marketplace
• Concept Generation
• Consumer Feedback
• Development of the Design
• Prototyping
• Manufacturing Techniques and Cost
• Marketing Techniques and Cost
• Conclusion

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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

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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

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Current Marketplace

• Major Competitors
• Silva
• K120
• Flawed Design, however the idea is
• innovative
• K100
• Bullet-proof Shoe, still Silvas best
• seller
• VJ
• Twister
• A rival to the K100 in the most
• popular shoe category

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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

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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

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Consumer Feedback

• Focus 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

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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

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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

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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

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Development
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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

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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

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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.

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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 would
• securely fit into the resulting outer sole
• The material however was not as robust as it was
• envisaged, thus a full terrain testing
  process
• would not be feasible

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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

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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.

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Prototyping
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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

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Manufacturing
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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

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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

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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

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Marketing
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Marketing
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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

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Financials

• The following year assuming the production could
  handle twice the number of orders ensuring the
  market share of 10

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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.

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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

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• Questions ?