A methodology for determining the allowances for fitting footwear

Abstract

A psychophysical study was conducted to determine the ideal and acceptable foot-shoe allowances for widths and girths using an in-shoe simulator. Participants wore the in-shoe simulator product, walked, and rated the various regions of the foot. The ratings together with the foot scans were used to determine the ideal fit. The results of the signal detection analysis indicate that participants liked the perceived footwear tightness in 75% or more cases where foot-shoe allowance was less than 6.4 mm, 12.1 mm and 10.7 mm at the foot breadth, ball girth and waist girth respectively. The proposed tolerances could be useful for designing shoe lasts.