Vans is a legendary skateboarding company that values the creativity of their customers above all else. With the addition of shoe customization a few years back, customers could use the website to join in on the creative process to make something they can proudly say they designed.

Vans makes building a custom shoe a seamless process through their step-by-step builder. The customization process starts with showing the customer the range of shoes that can be customized. Then, customers can select special materials catered to skateboarding, weather, comfort, etc. at an additional cost.

When a customer selects a shoe, explainer text appears to illustrate how to use the builder. The hand drawn arrows, step-by-step walkthrough and explanatory language make this easy to understand.

During any step of the customization process, you can share your design. The share feature generates a link of the shoe in the builder so your friends can see a 360 degree mockup of the shoe. Then, not only can they view a mockup but now that they are in the builder, your friends can make their own edits and send the updated design back to you.

To celebrate the customer’s new shoes, when his/her order arrives Vans includes a branded note with a handwritten letter from the founder thanking the customer for being part of the community. The shoes also come in a branded bag to keep the shoes from getting dirty.