Mission: Design a comfortable but stylish shoe for a specific persona.

Persona: A Grandmother who needs a pair of sneakers comfortable enough for everyday wear, but durable enough to keep up with her gardening and grandkids.

Functions: Comfortable, Velcro/Slip-on, Durable, Safe ( non-slip, extra support on sides), Stylish.

I began by creating a persona board showing who Grandma is as a person, and what her daily interests and activities are.

Next, I began developing sketches of what type of shoe she would want. I decided to make it velcro so that the shoe was easy to get on/ off despite her not having very good fine motor skills.

After the initial round of sketches I went through and picked some of my favorite pieces from each and developed some new concepts.

I continued by coming up with a basic line sketch that I based my final rendering off of.

The final version features a fun grandma color-scheme of a light blueish grey with some pops of purple. The shoe's sole consists of a foam top for comfort and support as well as a rubber bottom for extra grip and traction onto the ground. The shoe's upper has a plastic outer shell to support the outside of the foot, and a knit interior for comfort. A velcro strap runs across the top for easy on and off of the shoe.