Diabetic Footwear
Project overview: The Diabetic Footwear is a shoe that provides the correct comfort and support for patients with diabetes or other foot conditions. The problem is that diabetic footwear and many other orthopedic shoes chose to prioritize the functions of the shoe and disregard the form and style of a shoe. The goal is to create a shoe that still keeps or improves the functions of a diabetic shoe while being fashionable for casual wear and business formal events.
Research
37.3 million people, or 11.3% of the U.S. population, have diabetes. An estimated 28.7 million people – or 28.5% of the population – had diagnosed diabetes. Approximately 8.5 million people have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed (2022).
Diabetes Research Institute. “Diabetes Statistics.” DRIF, 2022,
diabetesresearch.org/diabetes-statistics/#:~:text=How%20many%20people%20have%20diabetes.
After conducting surveys, diabetic patients would state that they get disappointed when required to wear orthopedics. Some would state that they would rather wear other shoes instead of their orthopedic shoes. lastly users would say that affordability is another issue when it comes to buying orthopedic shoes.
After gathering insights from the surveys, a market research was done in order to decide on where the shoe would belong to, which is being more fashionable and a little affordable.
User Persona
The user would be office workers
Casual to business casual
Age range: 25-75 plus
Sketches
Model Making
Final Model
Challenges & Takeaways
Challenges were hand making the model itself and merging "Form" and "Function" into one beautiful silhouette. Usually its either form over function or function over form, but the goal was to hopefully take away that discussion in the shoe. A takeaway from this project is that Footwear is also an experience, with the right shoe it completes the outfit and determines how a person feels when wearing them. Design is not just for the majority of humanity but also for the ones that cannot fit in or went through something which caused them to be in the minority of the world. This project definitely changed the way I see the world and how things are and should be designed.