THE PROBLEM
EASY ACCESS
STORED
EASY ACCESS
STORED
EASY ACCESS
STORED
User storage situations
In talking to the users as well as seeing firsthand their storage habits, it was noted that both have 1-3 pairs of “heavy-use” shoes that they like to have easy access to and keep out, while they enjoy storing the other “occasional-use” shoes.
The goal was to design a shoe storage device that would encourage users to properly store their shoes rather than have them lie around.
An initial ideation phase took place which included 25 quick thumbnail sketches of potential concepts for a shoe storage artifact. The sketches were shown to potential users who then selected their three favorite concepts. It was from this narrowed pool of ideas that I selected a design direction to pursue.
Sketch Ideation
GETTING STARTED
MODEL MAKING
1st Iteration // Quarter-Scale
90 Degree Leg Setting
60 Degree Leg Setting
Fabrication Process
User Feedback for Next Iteration
As seen above, a triangular design was selected to move forward with, featuring a customizable leg angle setting to allow for more storage capacity and a different form feel. A quarter-scale model was created and taken to users to gain feedback, resulting in design changes implemented into a second iteration.
Updated Design Sketch for 2nd Iteration
MODEL MAKING CONT.
2nd Iteration // Half-Scale
90 Degree Leg Setting
60 Degree Leg Setting
Features
-
Two-angle support leg adjustability settings
-
Foldable intermediate shelves
-
Ridges along top panel promoting shoe size adjustability
Fabrication Process
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Final Concept Sketch
USER FEEDBACK
2nd Iteration Model
User feedback from the second model iteration led to design changes visualized by the final sketch below. Transitioning to a wall-mounted design would allow for the product to take up less space and be better integrated into the room it is in.
Key Features
Adjustable front shelves allow for customization based on shoe size and preference.
Retractable inner shelves facilitate easy adjustment of rack angle
Change angle from 15 to 30 degrees on wall mount.
