Skateboarders are hard on their shoes typically going through 7+ pairs of shoes a year, creating a financial burden for skaters and an oversized negative environmental impact. Examining skateboarders’ behaviors and personas helps illustrate why the issue persists, how skate shoe design prevents certain problems from being solved, and the challenges of designing them. Skateboard shoe resoling is a potential solution to part of the durability problem, this study examines 5 potential materials and a new process for skate shoe resoling.
Detailed process below!!!
Role
Product Designer, Skater, Researcher
Timeline
Twelve Weeks (Fall 2024)
Tools
Adobe Creative Suite, Rhino 7, Keyshot
Location
Salt Lake City, Utah
Design Principles
#1 accessibility
The finished product needs to be easily applied and understood. A complex process or product diminishes its value
#2 performance
If the product does not perform well then it is useless. Performance must be maintained for the skater.
#3 Set the scene
The research needs to build a picture of what skateboarding is and how it wears down shoes for the outside viewer.
