To start, I was provided 3 references to represent the brand stylistically and soon the project ballooned from a 3 product line to a 10 product line for the first year. As new design requests rolled in with varied styling and details, the target focus became blurry. Through understanding the brand where it is (a non trendy sport brand) and wants to go (branching more into lifestyle) as well as observing competitive research, I categorized the eyewear line into 3 buckets: lifestyle, sport, and classic.

From this simple strategy, many other tasks became easier, including:

Starting with one to two 1:1 low fidelity 3D paper prototypes, I confirmed shapes against the face and quickly iterated on ergonomic dimensions. I was easily able to move to several 1:1 high fidelity 3D printed prototypes to confirm sizing and small functional details before moving to production. The accuracy of the prototypes cut down on factory sample cost; roughly 3 samples or less across the board.

Polarization and mirrored effects multiply options by combining properties, but the base lens color and opacity provide the basis for use case scenarios. Lens color isn't just for fun; selecting the layers of color is a science.

GREEN: Brightens shadows. Low light conditions.
SMOKE: Neutral tone, reduces brightness. Bright conditions.
AMBER: Increases contrast.Variable conditions.
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Communicating these and other technical details needs to Marketing and ensuring the technical component was correct was key. The result was the following infographics, which are presented on each product site.

In addition to the lens research, floating frames were also a strong feature interest. Given that TYR was originally a swimming company, the floating feature would have added nicely to the brand's storyline. However, through testing we found the composition that aids floatation to be inferior and fragile and we found that historically this was seen as gimmicky and not accepted. Given these two points we moved on from this feature to keep it simple and functional.

Color strategy in the market is highly varied depending on the brand. Some frames are bright neons or pastels, some are in everyday colors, some have funky prints and tortoise patterns, etc. Given TYR's sporty color history, it makes sense to maintain a few typical bright TYR colors in the sportier frames, allow the lifestyle to follow everyday color schemes and outfits, and let the classic frames follow a more traditional approach. In all cases the lens colors were meant to be the focal point and that's where a lot of the "fun" would happen. Sales illustrated the market's selection of even more "safe" colors than predicted and future color strategy followed, which tightened sku count and narrowed initial color exploration to a strategy that works for TYR.

A simple padded case, for protection, with a microfiber cleaner and drawstring pouch.

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One of my initiatives at TYR is to move the custom design process to a digital platform. In collaboration with Marketing and Sales, I took the product story and packaged it for stakeholders to have a more level conversation with each other and with the athletes.

By creating an interactive product:

To imagine where this prototype could take the company, I started with creating a list of what is needed using existing web photography to quickly get stakeholders on board:

This was built in 2 parts simultaneously:

By creating an interactive product:

By creating an interactive product:

Mobile viewing would definitely be advantageous with on-the-go athletes later, but to start, a desktop presentation was made for sales to present via video calls.
Starting with an overview, users can see the full line and compare the shapes/ sizes of each. ​​​

Then, from the menu, users can design their own in an e-commerce styled layout.

In the end, new information and shifting priorities to new department priorities made the project no longer relevant, however possibly in a different company that focuses solely on eyewear, this project could improve customer relationships and the omni-channel strategy.