An ergonomic blister prevention sock

Callout Poster Design (Illustrator and Photoshop)

Figma, Miro, Illustrator, Photoshop | August – December 2024 | 4 Product Design students

Inspired by the struggle of breaking in Doc Martens, I designed a sock that reduces pain when wearing uncomfortable shoes, integrating flexible foam padding into problem areas like the back of the heel. My pitch was voted 1st of 50 products. I lead the product and visual design among a team of 4, sewing prototypes, creating drawings, conducting user testing, and developing our brand package.

Research Structure

Defining the Challenge

Breaking in new shoes like boots, loafers, and sneakers often leads to discomfort, blisters, and pain, particularly in high-friction areas like the back of the heel and the front of the toes. There is a need for a protective solution that alleviates this pain aside from existing disposable measures like band-aids.

Early-Stage Insights & Analysis

I conducted a competitor analysis of existing solutions and the consumer journey pain points that they solve. I found that wadded-up newspaper or cotton balls — while a simple fix — was the only one that was thick and durable enough to address the digging that occurred during long periods of walking. This sparked the concept for a foam-padded sock.

Ideation

My pitch and concept sketches were voted 4th of 230 initial product concepts, 1st of 50 products, and became one of 12 products selected for development.

Prototyping & Testing

Now in a team, we designed 2 rounds of user testing procedures to identify the core user needs. I learned to sew and used an old t-shirt and foam from my mattress topper to create our proof of concept prototype, then expanded on 2 additional prototypes as we refined our concept.