Under Armour Fusion
Skills:
Feasibility and Viability Evaluations
Brand Studies
Competitive Evaluations
Fall 2022
Summary
This project focused on where design and business begin to overlap. It spans the full range of human centered design with the added business analysis from beginning to end. Using Under Armour as a prompted company we were meant to determine how we might provide richer, more immersive product discovery by leveraging immersive technologies in store and online.
The project resulted in establishing a multi step movement into bringing VR and digital experiences into physical spaces allowing for increased knowledge on the consumers side as well as access to expertise from the company.
Process
This project, as all projects do, went through a long series of stages. Click on any of these to jump to that section!
Research
Prototype
Results
And thus we begin...
Brand Establishment
To begin we sought to distil exactly how Under Armour viewed themselves as a brand, their position in the market, and how consumers viewed them between these parts. This included framing them from their social, economic, and technological reach to establish what would need doing and how.
Interviews
From this research Under Armour is seen to be a brand establishing itself highly in the field of technology. This is their focus not only in physical product but in various attempts in the digital realm as well. This and sponsorship is where they make their name which has both worked to their benefit and detriment in various ways.
Interviews
Interviews for this project were directed for establishing how anyone in the range from enthusiasts for and against Under Armour view the brand felt. This included the brand experience they would have as well as their general experience as self identified athletes giving us insight in what would be important for a brand positioned the way Under Armour is.
Insights
Athletes need to represent themselves and their style but are restricted to brand styles as their means to do so.
Athletes progress and iterate through their exercises and needs but their trust and loyalty to products stays intact, preventing them from trying solutions from other brands that may better address their needs.
Athletes' disassociation between brands and ambassadors is attributed to the lack of opportunities that enables more meaningful engagement and interaction with their activities.
Athletes need knowledge and expertise to untap their full potential but brands are only seen as a source of materials rather than experts in the field
Athletes seek for ways to self-validate and reinforce their effort in order to stay motivated but brands fail to offer support tailored towards their athletic activities.
Under Armour Fusion
For entry level Gen-Z athletes who seek accurate information on UA products, UA Fusion helps untap their potential confidently with product knowledge that meets them where they are at on their athletic journey.
Brands as Companions
One of the themes taken from our insights was looking at how a brand is a companion on the athletic journey. For this reason it's important to be involved from the beginning, thus Under Armour Fusion is emphasized for entry level athletes. It is useful for any skill level but lowers the barrier to entry and becomes a guide from the start.
Mutual Growth
From this start it was then revealed that a brand needs to keep up with the athlete. Under Armour Fusion works to do this by following their progress and establishing the type and level of gear they may need moving forward.
Education
Physical testing with digital tracking allows athletes to gauge how the products work for them specifically before making a purchase. It additionally allows Under Armour to utilize their expertise with consumers proving themselves as reliable in the field.
The Case
Feasability
By developing new partnerships that offer and expand spaces for both technical and physical execution as well as fostering existing services that enable and optimize operations, UA Fusion seeks to provide both the front-end customer engagement and back-end architecture in conjunction with data analytics.
Key Partners
Technical
This is your Past Event description. Consider sharing a brief overview of the event, including special moments that took place or any other colorful details. Recreate the full experience for your readers by adding photos, videos or other visual components.
Physical
This is your Past Event description. Consider sharing a brief overview of the event, including special moments that took place or any other colorful details. Recreate the full experience for your readers by adding photos, videos or other visual components.
Operational
This is your Past Event description. Consider sharing a brief overview of the event, including special moments that took place or any other colorful details. Recreate the full experience for your readers by adding photos, videos or other visual components.
Moving Forward
This design was created separate from corporate sponsors and is not expected to proceed further than the academic setting.