Reflection

In conclusion, this project was a good experience because I learned a lot about this topic and myself. I learned how to manage my time and respond to setbacks. Although the school year is done, I will try to continue to work on this project because it is a topic that I am passionate about, and I can see myself doing similar work like this in the future. The presentation itself went well and I think I hit all the main points of my project; however, I did accidentally skip over some facts that I wanted to address. Overall, I am happy with my presentation and final product. Although the final product was not as far along as I intended, I did more research and focused on the logistics of the shoe.

In Retrospect

Since my last blog post, I have gathered ideas on how to present my ideas. In retrospect, this project was much more difficult and time consuming than I had originally planned. Unlike other projects that were very linear, my project had no direct path. Each step in my designing process could take anywhere from one class period to multiple weeks. The hardest part for me during this project was the amount of focus it takes. Product design, or any kind of design, takes a long period of focused work. I typically do my school work in short periods, taking breaks in between; however, this project required a longer duration because I could easily lose my train of thought. As I head into the final presentation, I will try to focus on my ideas and concepts. With these concepts, I believe that many variations of my design can be made, which can improve upon any flaws in my design.

Finishing designing

In the last two weeks, I have put on the finishing touches of the shoes. Barring any slight alterations, my design is completed and I can move on to the next steps. Since the deadline for this project is coming close, I'm not sure if I will be able to still create the foam prototype, which I had originally planned at the beginning of the project. I think I will try to focus on presenting my ideas and my design for my presentation. Although I chose a style that is very similar to typical running shoes, my idea to provide ankle support is adding an additional brace on the inside. The "brace" will be much like the sole at the bottom of the shoe.

Stuck in Designing

Over the past two weeks I have continued to work on my design. It's been tough for me to be completely satisfied with one design, which is why I am still stuck in this phase of the project. For the sake of this project, I will finalize my design by the end of this week. The next steps for me are to sketch this design in multiple angles (since I have only done one 2-D angle so far) and then draw it in illustrator. Illustrator will allow me to make smaller adjustments and see the shoe on a larger scale. Additionally, I will be able to experiment with colors and the layering of the material. Completing these steps by the end of Spring Break will be difficult because illustrator is easiest to access on the school journalism computers which will not be available during break.

Note: I've sketched a lot of other designs and concepts on random pieces of paper, but these are my two clean and nearly complete drawings.

Design Setbacks

In the past two weeks I have been focusing on design concepts that would provide solid ankle support for the shoes. So far, I have been analyzing how the ankle operates, and how a typical basketball shoe helps support this joint. During this designing process, I've been challenged with the same problems that I initially thought would give me trouble: maintaining ankle support while keeping the weight of the shoes low. To address this problem, I'm planning on working with a layered design, which would provide more support at more specific regions as opposed to the entire shoe. Additionally, I've been doing some preliminary research on materials, and I plan on contacting a company to see what materials they use.

This week I have been playing a bit of basketball and I have noticed the importance of traction that the sole of the shoe provides. I think poor traction can lead to many injuries, including rolled ankles, so I will also keep this in mind when I am designing.

First rough sketch 3/2/15