Hamden Sports Center
Business Proposal Case Study
Company: Hamden Sports Center
Project type: Design Thinking in Management
Project Duration: 12 Weeks
SYNOPSIS
In this project, my team will choose a REAL local business to partner with and apply design thinking knowledge to either solve a business problem (appropriate to design thinking) or develop a new offering/solution. My team will apply design thinking concepts to produce a business proposal for the chosen partner company. The proposal will outline the findings of the design thinking project, problems/opportunities identified (with rationale), how proposed solutions are innovative or unique, and should include instructions for prototyping, testing, and launching.
The chosen company is Hamden Sports Center, a local (network) of stores located in the Greater New Haven County that focuses on sales and supply of hockey gear.
EMPATHIZE
Understanding the needs, motivations, and pain points of the users for whom you're designing. It often entails research, interviews, and observations to gain insights into the user experience.
PROTOTYPE
Develop tangible representations of your ideas. Prototypes can take various forms, from simple sketches to more high-fidelity mockups or even functional prototypes, depending on the needs of the project.
DEFINE
Synthesize the information gathered during the empathize stage to define the core problems and challenges faced by users. This involves framing a problem statement that will guide the rest of the design process.
TEST
Gathering feedback on your prototypes from users. This feedback is used to evaluate the effectiveness of your solutions and identify areas for improvement. Testing often involves iterative cycles of refining prototypes based on user feedback until a satisfactory solution is reached.
IDEATE
Generate a wide range of potential solutions to the problem identified in the define stage. This is a creative phase where brainstorming, sketching, and other ideation techniques are used to explore different possibilities.
IMPLEMENT
Bringing the chosen solution to life. Encompassing the actual development and execution of the design solution, whether it's a product, service, or system. It requires collaboration across various disciplines, including design, engineering, and project management, to ensure that the solution is implemented effectively and efficiently.
These stages are often depicted as a cyclical, or dynamic process, with designers iterating through them multiple times as they refine and improve their designs based on user feedback and new insights.
DESIGN THINKING PROCESS
About Hamden Sports Center
Since 2005, Hamden Sport Center has quickly become a leader in the New England hockey world. A specialty hockey shop, Hamden Sport carries every major brand. As an offshoot of Cheshire Sport, the store brings with it experience in the sporting goods industry since 1971. Operating under Cheshire or Hamden Sport, the company has outfitted generations of hockey players.
The Issues
More off-season customer traffic to sustain finances and increase loyalty among customers.
Need an online presence and media marketing; a new website that contains an online store, support system, delivery system, and team profiles; off-season traffic
To make accessibility changes and overall attract more customer traffic to the Hamden location of Hamden Sports Center.
Opportunity Space & Research Methods
Exploring the opportunity space for Hamden Sports Center involves a research approach that encompasses both qualitative and quantitative methods. We will begin by conducting internal and market research to understand current trends, sales, and preferences of the sports center with their customers, management roles and duties, how inventory is managed, employee opinion on the internal systems, company outreach and market, etc. We plan to engage with stakeholders, such as the store owners, managers, athletes (the shoppers), and more through possible surveys, interviews, or observation. This can develop qualitative insights to shoppers and business' needs.
Journey Mapping
Enthographic Interviewing
Personas
Project Timeline
Week 1-3: Preliminary review and research to understand trend and need of Hamden Sports Center. Engage with stakeholders through surveys, interviews, and observation. Begin analysis of qualitative/quantitative data. Utilize worksheets like Journey Mapping and Personas to really map out the key stakeholders. Go to the owners of the store, and managers of necessary branches.
Week 3-4: Analyze collected data and feedback. Identify technologies and needs practices relevant to the need of Hamden Sports Center (sales). Develop preliminary concepts based on findings, whether it be solution or system change, marketing, advertising, etc, or management efforts of internal functions.
Peers-Observing-Peers
General Observation
Week 4-5: Refine design concepts. Continue communication and analysis of feedback and research. Napkin Pitches and develop hard anchor concepts. Communicate with Hamden Sports Center about napkin pitches and concepts to determine best possible outcomes for each.
Week 7-9: Finalize research findings, design concepts, and feasibility of said concepts if needed. Prepare a detailed presentation and documents needed for the design brief.
Week 10: Submit final project and presentation. Present to Hamden Sports Center and develop an action plan to implement ideas.
Pain Points
Not much could be done about the area surrounding the building or the driveway leading to the shop as HSC (Hamden Sports Center) does not own the property like some of their other locations
No leagues or tournaments are active during the off season as they used to be during the pandemic which takes a toll on sales, however HSC does print on demand for many teams around Hamden during the off season which maintains sales and customer relations.
Upper hand management is stressed and has limited time to consult and communicate with supplying/sourcing teams, has no direct way to organize assets, staying properly stocked, etc.
Brainstorming
Design Rationale
Approach: A new modern home website that contains potential new media such as a blog or podcast, a quick check-out system, the ability to deliver or have a reservation option, hire delivery staff, or begin to use delivery services, and design concepts/consolidate what goes on website (separate user end and staff end)
Benefit: Get Hamden Sports Center’s name on the internet and into the hands of customers of all ages and up to date with accessibility, which would make less work for upper management staff, creates the avenue for an online conversation with customers, and ease of adding new items, and social media can post about events.
Wireframing & Mockups
Due to time constraints of the semester ending, only high res wire framing was completed to get a sense of design and organization of the landing pages of the new website and storefront
