Stickers for the bottom of your feet?

Thursday, June 15, 2017
by Cameron Shelley

Rich Haridy points to a new item on Kickstarter called "Nakefit".  Rather than wear flop-flips on the beach or at the pool, wouldn't you prefer foot-shaped stickers for the bottom of your feet?  The makers of Nakefit think so.

Remote video URL

As Rich points out, this idea seems to be in tension between "why?" and "of course!".

On this blog, we sometimes like to pose this question somewhat differently: Is this design an innovation or a gimmick?  Designer Dieter Rams liked to make a distinction between novel designs that are true innovations and those that are just gimmicks or novelties.

Nakefit has some gimmicky qualities.  As the promoters note, people already have cheap footwear in the form of flip-flops for such situations. Why do they now need stickers too? 

Also, Nakefit seem very flashy.  Like Prada high-heels, they show off their branding by sending a flash of colour every time a wearer takes a step.  Are users better off with Nakefit or has Nakefit turned their users into walking advertisements?

However, for all I know, Nakefit may be more pleasant than flip-flops to wear.  After all, the latter get their name from the somewhat annoying sound they make. 

Also, flip-flops do not provide the most secure footing, which can be somewhat technostressing.  From the video, Nakefit seem to provide pretty good grip.

So, Nakefit: gimmick or innovation?