What if we transform Nikes internal operations to able deliver personalised shoes with the same efficiency and scale as mass produced items?

Designing an ecosystem from supply chain to interface.

Cognizant embarked on an ambitious project with R/GA to deliver a groundbreaking experience that would redefine personalisation in consumer products for Nike. The goal was to enable consumers to design their own shoes with an unprecedented level of customisation. Simple right?

💡The challenge

The vision of allowing Nike consumers to create their own unique footwear was straightforward. However, the real challenge extended far beyond creating a sleek interface that could support customisation; it was about designing an entire ecosystem, from supply chain to interface — to support a new kind of experience.

Reimagined supply chain: To enable such a high degree of personalisation, we had to fundamentally rethink the existing supply chain. The challenge was to redesign the model into a responsive without sacrificing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, or speed.

Integrating multiple systems From inventory management to production scheduling, and from e-commerce to logistics, every component needed to integrate seamlessly with manufacturing to ensure that each unique order was processed, produced, and delivered perfectly.

Crafting an intuitive journey Beyond the operational challenges, the consumer journey itself had to respond to the design vision created by R/GA. Every interaction needed to be smooth and resonate with Nike’s core audience while also attracting new customers.

Scaling globally The platform needed to be adaptable, catering to diverse markets while maintaining a unified experience at scale. This required careful consideration of regional behavior, local supply chain logistics, and infrastructure.

💡Answering the challenge

Working as part of a very experienced cross-functional team, our approach was rooted in the fundamentals of service design, focusing on systems, processes, and organisational alignment. We began by conducting an in-depth analysis of the current operating model, supply chain, and its supporting systems, including stakeholder interviews across the business. With our research synthesized, we facilitated a series of co-creation workshops involving diverse teams from across the business, including supply chain managers, IT specialists, product designers, and logistics experts. During these sessions, we used service design blueprinting as a visual and very structured way to mapping out the entire process, from front-end customer interactions to back-end operations.

Each blueprint identify key touch-points, backstage processes, and the many potential failure points across the value chain. Armed with the insights from the research and the co-creation workshops, we were able to start designing the new operating model its processes, systems, and structures with certainty. As the operating model increased in fidelity, we created process flows to illustrate how discreet aspects move through the new model, from the moment a customer designed a shoes to its delivery. These flows included every step, from inventory management and production scheduling to quality control and logistics. To ensure each flow solution was both practical and effective, we conducted a series of discrete tests. These tests were designed to validate key aspects of the new model, including integrations, process flows etc.

During the testing phase, we used the blueprint to monitor the performance of flow. By examining how the system handled orders, we quickly identifies issues, bottlenecks and in some cases failures. The feedback was critical as despite designing robust blueprints, the reality demanded iterations and adjustments, refining the process flows, and optimising the architecture. This iterative approach allowed us to address issues early and arrive at a model that was robust and scalable. The service blueprint continued to serve as a guide, even into full scale deployment ensuring that the roll-out across were smooth and coordinated.

💡Sizing up the results

Nike established a new industry standard for mass customisation. By redesigning the supply chain, integrating systems, and meticulously crafting operational processes, we enabled Nike and RG/A to launch a platform that allowed consumers to design their own shoes with unprecedented flexibility and efficiency. The initiative also delivered operational efficiency, that resulted in significant cost savings and delivered high levels of customer satisfaction, ensuring Nike remained at the forefront of the industry.

💡Learnings

This project taught me that groundbreaking ideas must be firmly grounded in real-world feasibility. Innovation isn't just about the idea itself; it's about understanding and empathizing with the business, its internal processes, systems, and the people who drive them. To truly bring innovation to life, it's just as much about being able to navigate the complexities of internal operations and ensure that all stakeholders are aligned as it is great design. Without the ability to drive the soft internal transformations, even the most brilliant ideas struggle to take root and will ultimately falter.