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Footloose - Dynamic Footrest

Footloose - Dynamic Footrest

Sailee Adhao
November 13, 2016
1 Comment

Footloose was designed to make long-haul flights a more comfortable experience for feet and reduce the risk of DVT and other symptomatic medical conditions associated with long hours of air travel.
It is dynamic due to an unbalanced from that tips one foot forward constantly. It changes form into three modes with the help of a sliding clip: at 90 degrees it rolls your feet backwards and forwards, at 45 degrees provides a light rocking motion and at 0 degrees can be folded flat and stored away.



The most important requirement was to make a fun and engaging product which induces motion from the users, drawing inspiration from the mindless, repetitive movements we often do distractedly. These movements were further refined to incorporate recommended in-flight exercises. The outer layer is silicone with dot-like extrusions for grip, designed to provide adequate friction and stimulation to feet. It is strengthened with an inner structure of PP.


A series of mock-ups & prototypes helped collect feedback for decisions such as pattern, size and type of texture, optimum size of product and user reaction to motion.
Mock-ups were made with card-paper and polypropylene sheets. Small samples were molded in silicone.

The prototypes elicited positive reactions from users who had fun using it and were keen on its portability. Footloose was designed during a 6-week course titled Simple Product Design, and the functionality achieved while keeping things simple was a valuable lesson to me as a designer.

For a more detailed explanation, please visit https://www.behance.net/gallery/44740777/Footloose-Dynamic-Footrest

Sailee Adhao

Product Designer, graduating from National Institute of Design, India. I'm currently looking for a 4-6 month internship in 2017.
As a designer, I am deliberative and passionate. I am driven by the ability of design to make a positive impact and this is reflected in the projects that I've undertaken and also in the kind of opportunities I'm looking for.

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