Comfort perception is a desirable factor in purchasing behaviour for footwear apparel and influenced by a range of factors including footwear anatomy, foot biomechanics, material properties, user sensation and aesthetics. The comfort level of footwear in the midfoot region has not been investigated through the retrofitting of leather shoes in previous research. Therefore, the comfort level was determined using a 3D-printed insert (inside shoe) on the heel, midfoot, forefoot, upper and overall comfort of the foot.

The purpose of the current study was to examine and then analyse the comfort level of a pair of men’s leather shoes when wearing an insert compared to without an insert in both standing and walking conditions (3mph). In addition, the ability of a Profile Assessment Device (PAD)...[ Read more ]

Comfort perception is a desirable factor in purchasing behaviour for footwear apparel and influenced by a range of factors including footwear anatomy, foot biomechanics, material properties, user sensation and aesthetics. The comfort level of footwear in the midfoot region has not been investigated through the retrofitting of leather shoes in previous research. Therefore, the comfort level was determined using a 3D-printed insert (inside shoe) on the heel, midfoot, forefoot, upper and overall comfort of the foot.

The purpose of the current study was to examine and then analyse the comfort level of a pair of men’s leather shoes when wearing an insert compared to without an insert in both standing and walking conditions (3mph). In addition, the ability of a Profile Assessment Device (PAD) was also investigated compared to static and dynamic walking conditions, which is unknown from previous research. 14 male participants were recruited for a two-day experiment evaluating both their feet and perceptions. The medio-lateral insert was fabricated through careful grading of an existing pair of inserts and situated inside the shoe according to the position selected during the preferred insert process. Participants were asked to wear shoes with insert for a minimum of one hour prior to data collection on day 2. Participants rated the comfort perception of five footwear aspects based on the barefoot rating (50) by wearing a sock on each foot and standing on a horizontal floor. However, the ANOVA and Tukey’s test clearly showed a significant improvement (p< 0.05) of a comfort level in different areas of the foot using the insert. In addition, the efficacy of a PAD closely resembled that of a shoe with an insert. The methodology, comfort ratings and findings of this study will assist future footwear researchers and podiatrists to fabricate various types of inserts to accommodate the whole midfoot using other forms of 3D printed material (or combinations of materials) rather than ABS to investigate footwear comfort and pressure redistribution.