Smart Product & App Design · 2022–2024
A smart running shoe paired with a mobile app — giving runners real-time feedback on gait, foot pressure, and injury risk before it's too late.
01 — Project Overview
StepSense is a complete product design project spanning footwear design and digital interface — a smart running shoe with embedded pressure sensors connected to a companion mobile app. It covers the full design process, from user research to interaction design and final UI.
The system detects gait imbalance, foot pressure distribution, and shoe wear in real time, then delivers clear, actionable guidance to the runner — without needing a physio appointment to decode the data.
02 — The Problem
Most runners don't notice gait issues until they're already injured. There's no simple way to see what's happening beneath their feet — and standard running shoes offer zero feedback on how the body is actually moving.
By the time pain appears, the damage is already done. StepSense flips this: detect the pattern early, correct it before it becomes an injury.
Scenario: Sara ignores knee pain → insoles detect imbalance → app gives insight → pain disappears in 2 weeks
03 — User Research
Research began with a questionnaire study targeting young women aged 20–25 living in Tehran, covering footwear habits, daily movement patterns, lifestyle, and brand awareness. Twenty participants from the questionnaire group were then selected for semi-structured interviews focused on expectations from running shoes, attitudes toward sports technology, and interest in wearable innovation.
Left: questionnaire study (lifestyle & footwear behaviour) · Right: interview study (20 selected participants)
Questionnaire Topics
Understanding daily behaviour
Footwear usage and care habits, walking and movement patterns, lifestyle and clothing preferences, cultural interests, brand perception.
Interview Topics
Going deeper on expectations
Awareness of international sports brands, attitudes toward Iranian brands, expectations from running shoes, durability, and interest in innovative sports technology.
04 — User Persona
Research consolidated into a primary persona: Sara, 23, a university student and active urban runner in Tehran. She joins sports classes regularly and cares about performance, health, and staying motivated — but can't notice gait issues in time, and her shoes give no real-time feedback.
Primary user · Goals: improve performance, avoid injury, feel confident · Frustration: no real-time feedback from shoes
05 — Inspirational Concept
The form language of StepSense draws from Raksh — the legendary horse of Persian mythology, companion to the hero Rostam in the Shahnameh. Raksh's muscular structure, dynamic stance, and explosive movement were translated directly into the shoe's silhouette and structural lines.
This wasn't a decorative choice. It gave the product an identity rooted in Iranian cultural heritage — creating emotional resonance alongside functional innovation for the target market.
Inspiration: Raksh from the Shahnameh — Persian miniature paintings and anatomical horse studies
06 — Design Research & Form Development
The curved lines of Raksh's muscular structure were translated into the shoe's silhouette and structural panels. Multiple sketch directions were explored — varying the curvature of the midsole, the placement of structural overlays, and colourway options — before converging on the final form.
The footwear design translates biomechanical requirements into a lightweight running shoe platform, embedding distributed pressure sensors within the sole structure.
Design exploration: 5 colour variants + sole geometry studies informed by Raksh's musculature
Final StepSense shoe design with embedded sensor sole and Bluetooth module
07 — System Architecture
StepSense runs two parallel monitoring systems that share a single user account, dashboard, and settings layer — keeping the experience unified despite the technical complexity underneath.
Left: Gait Analysis & Injury Prevention flow · Right: Shoe Wear Monitoring System flow
System 01
Gait Analysis & Injury Prevention
Foot sensors analyse walking step patterns in real time. Correct patterns trigger positive reinforcement; incorrect patterns detect complications, predict injury risk, and generate a shareable report for the user's doctor.
System 02
Shoe Wear Monitoring
Tracks distance travelled and calculates component consumption — accounting for environmental factors like humidity, heat, and cold. When a component is exhausted, the system recommends replacement before structural failure occurs.
Settings & Notification layer — shared across both systems · Daily or scheduled notification preferences
08 — Mobile Interaction & Feedback Loop
The StepSense app visualises pressure distribution, gait risk indicators, and shoe health metrics — enabling users to monitor performance, adjust posture, and share reports directly with healthcare professionals via email, WhatsApp, or Telegram.
Six screens cover the complete user journey: pairing, home dashboard, live pressure map, gait report, shoe health, and report sharing. Each screen focuses on a single task — data is translated into plain language, not medical jargon.
6 screens: Pair Shoes · Home · Live Pressure Map · Gait Report · Shoe Health · Share Report
Screen 01
Pair Shoes
Connect StepSense Pro left and right sensors via Bluetooth. Both must be active to begin monitoring.
Screen 02
Home Dashboard
Daily health score, steps, distance, active time, injury risk level, and real-time alerts — at a glance.
Screen 03
Live Pressure Map
Heat map of left and right foot pressure in real time, with left/right load percentages and balance status.
Screen 04
Gait Report
Weekly injury risk score, cadence, stride length, ground contact metrics, and detected gait patterns with status labels.
Screen 05
Shoe Health
Component wear status for midsole, outer sole, arch support, and heel counter — with km remaining per component.
Screen 06
Share Report
Send gait data to connected doctors or add new specialists. Share via email, WhatsApp, or Telegram without requiring a doctor account.
09 — Design Outcome
The project demonstrates how wearable technology can combine functional feedback with emotional product design. By grounding the shoe's form in Persian cultural heritage and the app in plain-language biomechanical insight, StepSense connects performance, health awareness, and identity within a single product system.
The design explores how technology can support runners not only through data, but also through meaningful interaction and motivation — closing the loop between the body, the shoe, and the screen.
"Most runners don't know what's happening beneath their feet until it's too late. StepSense makes the invisible visible — before the injury, not after."