A Triangle Design Framework for Functional Footwear for Chinese Older Adults

Abstract

Well-designed functional footwear can reduce health hazards in various environments. Considering the particular needs of older adults, the design of footwear must address multifunctional demands, which requires the use of the latest technology and extensive research. Focusing on Chinese older adults, this paper proposed a triangle design framework to single out critical research functions of design. It contributes to user-centered design literature by mapping out a logical, comprehensive design flow that integrates a service platform in the framework, in addition to the foci on designers and older users. The main functions of the service platform included surveying and analyzing demand, creating an empathic experience for the designers, capturing the perceptual cognition of older adults, and evaluating the product. The users’ requirements are classified according to the physiological function of older adults as well as usage scenarios. The suggested design flow is user-centered and demand-oriented, and the empathy concept is incorporated into all aspects of design. Both physical and mental health are expected to be improved to promote active aging for older adults as a result of implementing this design framework.

Keywords:

• footwear
• older adults
• demand analysis
• empathic design
• functional evaluation

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Shu Yuan from Product Design Department of Donghua University for providing the age simulation suit.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Shanghai Education Development Foundation and Shanghai Municipal Education Commission “Chenguang Program” [grant no. 18CG76]; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [grant no. 2232020 G-08]; and Shanghai Summit Discipline in Design [grant no. DA19202].

Notes on contributors

Miao Tian

Miao Tian lectures in the Department of Fashion Design and Engineering, Donghua University, P.R. China. Her research interests focus on the numerical simulation of functional textiles & clothing, and product development based on theories of ergonomics. [email protected]

Ye Lei

Ye Lei is a graduate student of the Department of Fashion Design and Engineering, Donghua University, P.R. China. Her research interests focus on the functional evaluation of footwear for older adults. [email protected]

Jun Li*

Jun Li* (corresponding author) is a professor in the Department of Fashion Design and Engineering, Donghua University, P.R. China. His research interests focus on the development of high performance clothing. [email protected]