Category: Emerging Technology

NikeID Loop: Sneaker Customization Concept

Here is another interesting concept coming out of Miami Ad School, this time for Nike.

Since Nike has a huge range of sneakers, it’s next to impossible to try each one of them at the store. In fact, it’s not even possible to find them all at the store.

So a unique interactive mirror using Microsoft’s Kinect technology was created to customize the sneakers on the user’s feet. This way, one could try on every pair of Nike sneakers ever made in record time.

The core problem this concept tackles

Retail has a physical constraint. Shelf space. Inventory. Time. Nike’s catalog depth makes “try everything” impossible, even in flagship stores.

This concept flips the constraint by moving variety from physical inventory into a digital layer, while keeping the try-on moment anchored in the body. By “digital layer” here, I mean a live overlay that swaps variants in the mirror without needing physical stock. Your feet. Your stance. Your movement.

The real question is how you let shoppers explore more options without turning the store into a warehouse or the decision into homework.

Why the mirror mechanic is powerful

Because the mirror tracks movement and renders variants instantly, it keeps the try-on believable in motion, which is what makes fast switching persuasive instead of gimmicky.

Extractable takeaway: When you can add choice in software while preserving an embodied try-on moment, you reduce assortment friction without reducing confidence.

  • It keeps context real. You see the shoe on you, not on a product page.
  • It compresses decision time. Rapid switching creates a new kind of “browsing”.
  • It turns discovery into play. The experience is inherently interactive, which increases dwell time.
  • It reduces inventory friction. The store can showcase breadth without stocking breadth.

In retail environments where shoppers want high-confidence fit and style decisions in minutes, embodied digital try-on can expand perceived assortment without expanding stock.

What this implies for customization and personalization

NikeID is already about making a product feel personal. A Kinect-style mirror extends that by making customization immediate and visual, which can increase confidence before purchase.

This kind of embodied customization is worth betting on, because it makes breadth feel real without demanding more shelf space.

The concept also suggests a future where “catalog” becomes a service layer. The physical store is the stage for decision-making, not a warehouse for options.

What to take from this if you run retail CX

  1. Start with the constraint. Space and assortment are physical limits. Digital can expand them.
  2. Keep the experience embodied. Seeing a product on yourself is stronger than seeing it on a screen.
  3. Design for speed. Rapid iteration can become a feature, not a compromise.
  4. Make the output actionable. The experience should flow naturally into saving, sharing, or ordering.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the NikeID Loop concept?

It is a Miami Ad School concept for Nike that uses an interactive mirror and Microsoft Kinect technology to let users customize and “try” different Nike sneakers on their feet digitally.

What problem does it solve in stores?

It addresses the fact that Nike’s full range of sneakers cannot be stocked or tried in one location, by shifting variety into a digital interface.

Why use Kinect or motion tracking?

Motion tracking lets the system align the visual shoe to the user’s feet in real time, keeping the experience believable as people move.

Is this a product or a concept?

In this case, it is presented as a concept coming out of Miami Ad School, showing a possible direction for interactive retail.

What is the transferable lesson?

If you can remove physical constraints through an embodied digital layer, you can increase choice, speed, and confidence without expanding inventory.

Wacom Inkling: paper sketches, digitized

Wacom is launching a cool new digital sketch pen for artists called the Inkling. This unique pen allows artists to draw or sketch on a standard piece of paper and then automatically have a digital version created.

The trick is that Inkling pairs a real ink pen with a small receiver that clips to your paper and records your strokes as you draw, so you can plug it into a computer later and bring the sketch into your digital workflow.

What Inkling changes in a familiar habit

Most artists already start with pen and paper because it is fast, portable, and forgiving. Inkling keeps that behaviour intact, but removes the “scan it later” step by capturing the drawing while it happens.

How the capture works in practice

  • Draw normally. You sketch with an actual ballpoint pen on regular paper.
  • Record quietly. The clipped receiver tracks each stroke and stores the sketch.
  • Transfer when ready. You connect the receiver to your computer and import the captured file for editing.
  • Refine digitally. The value shows up when you want to iterate, clean up, or reuse elements without redrawing from scratch.

In creative and design workflows, bridging paper-first sketching to digital editing keeps momentum for artists who think with their hands.

The real question is whether you can keep paper-first speed while still landing in edit-ready digital files.

Why it lands: it removes one of the most annoying handoffs

The friction is never “making the sketch”. The friction is getting that sketch into the tools where it becomes a layout, a storyboard, an illustration draft, or a presentation asset. Inkling makes the handoff feel like part of the act of drawing, not a separate job you do later.

Extractable takeaway: If you remove one ugly handoff between a familiar analog habit and a digital toolchain, you get adoption without asking creators to change how they start.

What Wacom is really selling here

This is not just a new pen. It is a bridge product that expands Wacom’s relevance beyond tablets and into the earliest moment of creation, when ideas are still raw and fast. A bridge product connects a trusted old workflow to a newer one, so users can cross without friction. Wacom is right to focus on the handoff, not on adding more pen features. If the first capture happens with Wacom, the next steps in the workflow are more likely to happen with Wacom-friendly tools too.

Takeaways for marketing creator tools

  • Respect existing habits. Do not force a new behaviour when the old one already works.
  • Remove a single painful step. “No scanning” is a clearer benefit than a long list of features.
  • Sell the workflow, not the gadget. The story is speed from idea to editable file.
  • Show the before and after. Demos work best when viewers can see the exact handoff being eliminated.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Wacom Inkling?

It is a digital sketch pen system that lets you draw on regular paper with real ink while capturing a digital version of the sketch for later transfer to a computer.

Do you need special paper to use Inkling?

No. The idea is that you sketch on standard paper while a clipped receiver records your strokes.

How do you get the sketch onto your computer?

You connect the receiver to your computer and import the stored sketch so it can be edited digitally.

What is the main benefit compared to scanning?

You skip the “capture later” step. The sketch is already recorded as you draw, which makes it faster to move from rough idea to editable file.

Who is this best suited for?

It fits artists and designers who start on paper for speed, then want to refine, iterate, or reuse parts of the sketch digitally without redrawing everything.