Meeting with Aurélien, who is currently co-creating the future Nordic walking competition shoe.
Behind his mask, we can see the big smile of Aurélien, 35 years old, Engineer at Newfeel. With enthusiasm, he explains to us that his role is to set up reliable trials to test the products and then validate or rework them based on the results obtained. With his team, they decided to co-create a competition Nordic walking shoe.
He agreed to meet us to tell us about this experience.
Aurélien, what initially led you to work on a competitive Nordic walking shoe?
Aurélien: “Actually, it’s quite simple. Apart from the shoes offered by Newfeel and Decathlon, there are no specific shoes for Nordic walking on the market. We are the only ones to design specifically for Nordic walking. Until then, walkers used other types of shoes: hiking shoes, trail shoes, running shoes, etc. We realized that these shoes did not exactly correspond to the needs of walkers.
We started by making shoes for Nordic walkers practicing occasionally, regularly and then intensively. But we didn't have specific shoes for the competition. We therefore decided to tackle the subject head on.
Nordic walking can be practiced on all types of paths, in the plains or in the forest, at the beach or in the mountains.
Why did you do it in co-creation with walkers, rather than in a traditional way?
Aurélien: We find it important to open up to the rest of the world.
If we stayed as part of our Nordic walking project team, there would have been 6 of us designing and making decisions. In addition, although we all practice Nordic walking, none of us compete. It therefore seemed natural to us that it was the users themselves who expressed their needs and desires around this specific shoe.
What were the first decisions and surprises that you had while collaborating with your competitors?
Aurélien: At the beginning we started with the idea of making 1 shoe model. By discussing and asking questions to our co-creators, we realized that the shoe had to be breathable as a priority for 50% of our competitors, and waterproof as a priority for the remaining 50%. So we decided to do two shoes: we listened to them, rather than making a decision on our side.
Likewise, we did not know whether our competitors practiced Nordic walking competitively over short or long distances. Ultimately, most of our community competes in short distances. And those who practiced long distance often had 2 pairs of shoes for their competition. We therefore focused on a short distance shoe, with sufficient flexibility, grip, recovery and cushioning, for a durability of at least 800 km.
What was very pleasant for us, as a project group, was that we did not have to put forward our convictions, since we had the opinions of the co-creators directly.
Waterproof shoe textile
On what subjects did you ask the co-creators?
Aurélien: We started by listening to them and questioning them to understand what was important to them about a shoe. They were then asked to prioritize these different points of attention.
We still had doubts about the lacing system, so we asked them to decide what seemed best to them.
Once we had created the first designs, we asked them to position themselves on their favorite design. This allowed us to build the first prototypes, which we showed them to get their feedback.
Finally, recently, we were able to make color choices together for the future shoe.
Example of a lacing system on a Newfeel Nordic walking shoe.
This makes them decisions to be made! And for you, what are the next steps?
Aurélien: As soon as we have received the latest prototypes, we will begin the fitting tests.
Next, we will have a big step: shoe testing in the field; we want to assess whether the shoe meets their needs, by also having them compare it with competitive products. The idea is to go see the co-creators at home.
We also want to consult them on sales issues: merchandising, communication, etc. We don't yet know how, but we already have some ideas.
What did this experience of co-creation teach you?
Aurélien: Making this shoe in co-creation confirmed to us that it was easier to make decisions when it came from the users, the athletes. This allows us to put our egos as designers aside to focus on the needs of the competitor.
Co-creating requires good organization and strong cooperation within the team.
It's been 9 months since we launched, and I feel that it has really created a bond between the different members of the team.
And if you had a little message to send to the co-creators, what would it be?
Aurélien: First of all, I want to say a big “THANK YOU” to them. Thank you for your involvement, without you we would not move forward as quickly, and not as well. You are helping the entire community of competitors with this.
I also hope that you find your account, and that you are satisfied with the level of information, and satisfied with the relationship that is created thanks to this project.
If this was not the case, do not hesitate to let us know!
With these lovely words, we conclude our interview with Aurélien.
Its community of Nordic walking competitors now has 209 members, 77 of whom have already been involved in several stages of this project. We are all looking forward to seeing this new product, which should be released next year, to the delight of all competitors!
