Shoe-ser experience - Why Vibram 5 fingers sell themselves
i can't count the number of times that people have noticed my five finger shoes and struck up a conversation to learn more. i've had people ask to touch them--this is unthinkable in the land of my parents--tracing their fingers along the soles in disbelief and exploration. are they really shoes?
i myself was über-curious after i saw tim ferris sporting a pair of five fingers on his vlog. the knockout punch came when i saw my crossfit instructor running in them. during a warm-up run, i pulled up alongside jason just to quiz him about his whacky shoes. i was full of reservations about comfort, safety and support. jason was explaining that, since they aren't cushioned, they force you to strike properly. i didn't believe it*. but it made no difference. asking questions wasn't satisfying my curiosity. i had to experience my own pair. surprise begets discovery begets purchase.
five finger shoes exemplify viral, emotional design:
- they're social objects. like a pair of white headphones, your vibrams are out there for all to see. in combination with the curiosity of others, you will build stories around your shoes, deepening your bond with the product.
- they're fun. we all have toes, but they spend most of their time imprisoned in socks and shoes. let them flap out in the wind! feel the ground under your feet. pick things up.
- they're obvious, yet unexpected. innovation, like humor, seems obvious in retrospect (cf. edward de bono). gloves have been around since Homer. why did it take so long to commercialize gloves for the feet? (i wonder if it was a materials problem?)
and they're decent shoes to boot: comfortable, durable.
of course, they don't breathe well and develop a raging foot odor after several workouts. but, here's the rub, humans forgive the people and things that they love. designers can leverage this double standard by creating emotional products. it's the difference between "my #$#% PC crashed" and "my lil' MacBook is sad." i saw this first hand while working at the apple store. customers were so eager to have their beloved products back that, rather than being angry, they were sad at the loss.
See also: Is your product a hot chick?.
* it turns out that barefoot running is legit according to this harvard prof.
