Prototype

 Materials: needle, thread, hinge, water resistant cloth, grater, scissor, glue, rubberball and shoes.

Deduction

From the 100 ideas we reduced it into 4 main ideas as solutions to stop the factors of slipping.

100 IDEAS

More sole materials.

Neoprene soles, made up of synthetic rubber, can be used on both wet and dry. However, it is not recommended on oily surface.

Crepe sole, rubber with a "crinkled" texture, suits the best on rough concrete and it does not matter whether the surface is wet or dry. Not recommended on tile, smooth concrete, or wood surfaces.

Leather soles are suitable on ceramic tile, wood, and concrete surfaces, on wet, dry and greasy conditions. It is not recommended on dry, smooth concrete or tile.

The current footwear category has slippers, athletic shoes, high heels, boots and so on. Since it is technologically advanced era, material source for shoes are not limited. It can either be processed into natural or processed material. To ensure patron have a safety pace, we need to focus on the design and materials of soles.

There are many types of sole materials such as PU (polyurethane), rubber, TPR which is a combination of PU and rubber, leather, plastic, sheet sole and et cetera.

Different materials have their own quality and function. PU is a very good material in durability, thus suitable for daily use. However, it does not have a long shelf-life so it is not suitable to those who are putting on occasionally because the sole might tear out.

There are two types of rubber; hard and soft. Soft rubber soles can be used safely when working on dry surface but not suggested on wet or greasy concrete. Hard rubber soles are just nice for greasy concrete and wood.

Personal experience on slipping

Being caught on a rainy day, i ran to the closest shelter to take cover from the rain. While running, I ended up slipping on the floor due to the wet slippery surface. It was due to her faulty worn down shoes as it didnt have enough grip to stabilize her running.

Case Study 3

Are shoes always slippery when raining? From this issue, there are some factors of "slip" which appears in shoes, weather and flooring. Putting on wrong shoes is one of the causes of undesirable falls.

According to an article taken  from The Straits Times, “More than half of the patients at Changi General Hospital’s (CGH) falls clinic are there because they were using footwear with an insufficient grip, said the hospital spokesman." A lot of people will make the mistakes that shoe has to be fit. In fact, in between the longest toes and the tip of shoes should be have one thumb width of space. According to a senior podiatrist, the reason of the need of the space is to reduce the chance of injury when the footwear is hit against a hard surface.

The head of medicine and also a geriatrician showed that 80 percent of the numbers of NUH patients falling by accident were due to the inappropriately footwear type, size and insufficient grip. Shoes being too big and loose are another reason for increase in risk of falling, particularly the elderly. As you age, especially the elderly, you will be prone to more falls. Therefore, age is also another factor which causes more falls.