Critical Footwear Futures Cards
Critical Footwear Futures Cards
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What if a shoe could do more than just protect your feet?
This version of Footwear Futures Card Deck helps you explore different ways to design footwear by thinking about values, materials, and purpose. Instead of starting with trends or technology, this deck encourages you to think critically about:
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Design Lenses – What perspectives shape the way we design? How do sustainability, ethics, and social impact influence decisions? Jump to Lens Cards
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Bio-Material Practices – How do material choices affect a shoe’s lifecycle, from sourcing to disposal? What alternative or regenerative materials could be used? Jump to Bio-Material Practices Cards
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Function-Driven Design – How can footwear serve new roles beyond protection and style? What interactions, experiences, or needs could it support? Jump to Function Cards
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Tools - What can you use to support ideation and bringing a future speculative vision to life? Jump to Tools Cards
This revised version of the deck moves beyond surface-level design choices, helping you reflect on how shoes connect to sustainability, community, and everyday life in new ways.
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This critical futures version of Patricia Vinning's (Samueli Academy) deck was created in collaboration with Dr. Jillian Warren (Chapman University), Dr. Alissa Antle (Simon Fraser University), and Sadhbh Kenny (Simon Fraser University). A digital version can be found at: www.jillianlwarren.com/teaching/footwearfuturescards
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This page acts as an interactive access point to the deck. Below this overview section, you will find the cards categorized by Design "Lens", Bio-Material "Practices",and "Function".
Simply hover over each card to flip it over to find critical questions to ask during your design process.
Start Here!
Lens Cards - Flip to Reveal Critical Questions
Repair/DIY Culture
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Description: Repair culture resists throwaway consumerism by valuing maintenance, longevity, and reuse. It asks how design can encourage fixability rather than disposability.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Why is repair seen as more inconvenient or less desirable than buying something new?
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How can design shift repair from an individual burden to a collective practice?
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What repair skills have been lost or devalued, and why?
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How can I create designs that allow people to modify and repair their own objects rather than being locked out of the process?
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What are the social, economic, and political barriers to repair culture gaining mainstream traction?
Eco-Justice​
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Description: Eco-justice critiques how capitalism, patriarchy, and colonialism intersect with environmental degradation. It promotes care-centered, anti-extractive, and restorative approaches to design that emphasize repair, reciprocity, and ethical labor.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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How is sustainability framed differently when care, reciprocity, and community well-being are prioritized?
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Who benefits from current extractive practices, and who bears the burden?
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What does it mean to design in a way that resists exploitation, whether of people, land, or resources?
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How can I center repair, shared ownership, and long-term relationships with products instead of disposability?
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How does my own identity shape the way I view environmental or community responsibility?
Solarpunk​
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Description: Solarpunk envisions hopeful, regenerative futures that integrate sustainability, local resilience, and decentralized infrastructure. It rejects dystopia and seeks to imagine systems that work in harmony with nature.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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What would footwear look like in a post-consumerist, decentralized world? What could it do?
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What tensions exist between global production models and localized, community-driven design? Can you drive design and repair into the hands of the individual or community?
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Do I believe sustainability can be achieved within existing systems, or does something more radical need to happen? How could the shoe be the start?
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What would it mean for a design to be not just low-impact, but actively regenerative?
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How might technology in footwear support solarpunk values—not just through energy but through community, sustainability, or repairability?
Ethics-core (Values)​
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Description: Ethical approaches, like Value-Sensitive Design (VSD), recognize that every design decision reflects and reinforces certain values. Value tensions arise when personal beliefs or ethical commitments come into conflict with dominant structures, economic pressures, or societal norms.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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What values are most important to me in design, and where do they align or conflict with mainstream industry practices?
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What happens when I want to create something that challenges dominant values?
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What compromises do I make between pragmatism (what can be done in the existing world) and my deeper ethical commitments?
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What would a shoe (or product) look like if it fully aligned with my personal values rather than being shaped by external pressures?
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How does my own background, identity, or experience shape the way I think about what is “normal” in design? What's sustainable? what's community or civically - oriented?
Indigenous Perspectives
Description: Indigenous worldviews often emphasize relationality, land stewardship, and non-extractive economies. This lens centers place-based knowledge and the idea that materials and ecosystems are partners rather than resources. Considers perspectives like 7 generation thinking.
Critical Questions to Consider:
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How does Western design thinking differ from Indigenous approaches to materials and sustainability?
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What would it mean to design with the land rather than taking from it?
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How does footwear reinforce or disrupt colonial structures of resource extraction and ownership?
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How can I work with Indigenous-led movements rather than extracting their knowledge for aesthetics or trends?
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How does Indigenous storytelling shape relationships with objects and materials in ways different from mainstream consumerism?
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How can ideas like 7 generation thinking (thinking about the impact of future generations) reshape our approach to design (materials, impacts, what we want our designs to support)?
BioCentric or More-than-Human
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Description: This lens challenges human-centered design by considering how products interact with ecosystems, animals, and landscapes. It asks how design can be integrated into broader ecological networks rather than existing separately from them. Think about more than human perspectives.
Critical Questions to Consider:
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How does human convenience come at the expense of non-human life?
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How might footwear be symbiotic with natural systems rather than extractive?
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If my design had to be used by or benefit both humans and non-humans, how would it change?
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How can I rethink ownership so that footwear is part of an ecological cycle rather than just a product?
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Who or what benefits from the current separation between human-centered and nature-centered design? What is ignored or harmed?
Healthcore
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Description: Healthcore considers the connections between human health, materials, and the environment. It critiques how design impacts biological processes, from pollution exposure to bodily autonomy. It also asks how access to health-supportive products is shaped by economic, social, and systemic structures.
Critical Questions to Consider:
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How can footwear design/materials impact the health of wearer? Factors outside the wearer?
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What are the biological effects of the materials used in footwear (e.g., microplastics, endocrine disruptors, air quality)? Explore alternatives.
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How do I personally define health, and how does this align (or conflict) with mainstream design priorities around health? What's being left out?
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Who has access to health-supportive footwear, and who is left out?
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How can a product reflect a more holistic approach to well-being rather than just individual health optimization? or a more community-centered approach?
Slow Design​
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Description: Slow Design challenges the culture of speed, mass production, and disposability in design. It emphasizes thoughtful, intentional, and ethical creation processes that respect materials, time, and local contexts.
Critical Questions to Consider:
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How can design encourage deep, long-term relationships with objects instead of treating them as temporary?
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How does my own perception of time and urgency shape my approach to making?
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How might I create designs that evolve with the user rather than being discarded and replaced?
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How can my work disrupt the fast cycles of consumption and disposal?
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How can slow design challenge the constant demand for newness in consumer culture?
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What would it mean for a product to tell a story over time through wear, repair, or adaptation?
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How might slow practices of making and repair help emphasize sustainable/local materials? How might they bring community together in new ways?
Bio-"Material" Practice Cards - Flip to Reveal Critical Questions
Regenerative Farming & Natural Fiber Alternatives​
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Description: Regenerative farming restores soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystems while growing natural fibers like hemp, flax, and wool. At the same time, marine-based materials, such as seaweed-derived textiles and algae-based foams, provide biodegradable, petroleum-free alternatives that can be harvested with minimal environmental impact.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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How can seaweed and algae-based materials reduce reliance on synthetic foams and plastics?
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What are the social and environmental differences between mass-produced vs. regenerative natural fibers?
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How can industries support regenerative land- and ocean-based farming to ensure ethical and sustainable sourcing?
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Can regenerative materials be scaled up without compromising traditional ecological knowledge?
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What components in everyday products could be replaced with seaweed or algae-derived alternatives?
Living Materials & Adaptive Textiles​
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Description: Advances in bioengineering mean that materials can now be alive, growing, or changing in response to their environments. Living materials include self-healing leathers, bacterial cellulose weaves, and temperature-responsive fibers.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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What responsibilities come with designing living materials—who controls them?
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Could materials adapt to users over time, changing fit, breathability, or structure?
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How does designing with living systems change the way we think about ownership and product life cycles?
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What are the potential risks of commercializing bioengineered materials?
Circular Design​
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Description: Circular design creates durable, reusable, repairable, and recyclable products that generate zero waste. Some approaches include fully modular designs, disassembly-first construction, and compostable alternatives.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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What happens to this product at the end of its life—how does it return to the system?
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How can materials be designed so that every component is recyclable, replaceable, or compostable?
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What are the economic and cultural barriers to circular systems replacing fast fashion?
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How do business models need to change to support circularity over disposability?
Energy-Harvesting Textiles​
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Description: Advances in kinetic and solar textiles mean materials can generate electricity through movement or sunlight. Some innovations explore how energy-harvesting textiles could power wearables or even return energy to the grid.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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What are the real-world applications of energy-harvesting materials?
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Could wearable-generated energy reduce reliance on traditional power grids?
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How might power-generating textiles change the role of everyday materials in our lives?
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What are the ethical implications of harvesting energy from human movement—who owns it? Who benefits from it? Who might be excluded or harmed?
Biodegradable Materials
Description: Biodegradable materials break down naturally over time, returning to soil and ecosystems instead of polluting landfills or oceans. Examples include mushroom-based leathers, algae-based textiles, and fungal-derived foams.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Under what conditions do these materials actually degrade—do they require industrial composting?
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How can materials be designed to last when in use, but break down when discarded?
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What are the hidden environmental impacts of biodegradable materials (e.g., water use, energy costs)?
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What biodegradable materials already exist, and why aren’t they widely used?
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How might compostable/biodegradable materials impact fast fashion or traditional consumerist business models?
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How can you get consumers embrace products that visibly break down over time?
Dematerialization ​
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Description: Dematerialization reduces the amount of raw material and energy needed to make products. Instead of adding more material for performance or durability, it asks: how can we do more with less? Examples include COâ‚‚-based materials and bacterial cellulose bio-weaving, which produce strong fibers with minimal inputs.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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How can materials be lighter, thinner, or require fewer resources without sacrificing quality?
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What are the hidden impacts of digital tools (e.g., 3D printing, AI-generated design) in reducing material waste?
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What are the trade-offs—does reducing materials affect comfort, longevity, or accessibility?
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Can dematerialization lead to less wasteful consumer behavior (e.g., fewer purchases, longer use)?
Upcycling & Post-Consumer Waste​
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Description: Upcycling reuses discarded materials—such as textile scraps, plastic waste, or rubber offcuts—to create new products of higher value and quality than the original waste. Examples include footwear made from fishing nets, coffee grounds, and post-consumer plastics.
Critical Questions to Consider:
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What materials are currently discarded in design and manufacturing, and how could they be reused?
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How does upcycling challenge traditional ideas of "newness" and value?
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What systems could make post-consumer recycling more accessible and effective?
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How does upcycling affect labor, cost, and accessibility in sustainable design?
Biomimicry​
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Description: Biomimicry takes inspiration from natural forms, processes, and ecosystems to create sustainable materials and design solutions. Examples include self-repairing bio-fabricated fibers, fungal structures for durability, and algae-based materials that mimic coral resilience.
Critical Questions to Consider:
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How can materials be designed to function like ecosystems, rather than deplete them?
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What natural processes already solve the problem I’m trying to address?
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How can materials be designed to repair themselves, filter pollutants, or adapt to different conditions?
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What are the ethical considerations of biomimicry—does nature belong to everyone?
Have another bio-material practice that isn't covered by these?
Let's talk about your "wildcard" idea!
Function Cards - Flip to Reveal Critical Questions
CONNECTING​
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Definition: Connecting is about fostering relationships—between people, between individuals and environments, and between digital and physical spaces.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Environmental: How might footwear connect the wearer to the natural world in a meaningful way? How can shoes strengthen awareness of environmental interdependence?
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Community/Civic: How can footwear be a tool for strengthening social bonds, collaboration, or mutual aid? What ethical considerations arise in designing shoes that facilitate or mediate human relationships?
SENSING​
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Definition: Sensing refers to the ability to detect, interpret, and respond to environmental or social inputs, creating awareness of changes in surroundings.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Environmental: What environmental signals should footwear be attuned to? How could shoes respond to shifts in climate, pollution, or biodiversity loss? What ethical concerns arise when embedding sensors into everyday wear?
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Community/Civic: How can footwear provide awareness of social, political, or surveillance infrastructures? How might shoes counteract surveillance or data tracking? What are the risks and benefits of wearable sensing technologies?
REGENERATING​
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Definition: Regeneration focuses on restoring and replenishing natural systems, materials, or communities. It asks how we can move beyond sustainability toward active repair and renewal.​
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Environmental: How might footwear contribute to the regeneration of ecosystems? What materials or processes could promote ecological healing rather than extraction? How could shoes interact with living systems to restore balance?
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Community/Civic: How might footwear support the revitalization of communities or shared spaces? What role could shoes play in maintaining cultural resilience? How could regenerative practices in footwear production support ethical labor and local economies?
FILTERING​
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Definition: Filtering is about processing, separating, or purifying elements in our environment—whether physical, digital, or social.​
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Environmental: How might footwear play a role in filtering pollutants or toxins from air, water, or soil? What natural or engineered processes could be integrated into materials to clean or filter as you move?
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Community/Civic: How might footwear filter and process information in public spaces? How can shoes help individuals navigate information overload, misinformation, or sensory accessibility challenges?
HEALING​
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Definition: Healing focuses on healing—whether in physical, emotional, or systemic ways—by addressing damage and supporting recovery.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Environmental: How might footwear actively restore ecosystems or counteract environmental harm? How can materials and design processes contribute to regenerative cycles rather than waste?
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Community/Civic: How might footwear be a tool for personal or collective healing? What role can shoes play in fostering well-being, accessibility, or therapeutic experiences?
MAPPING
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Definition: Mapping is the act of spatial awareness, navigation, and understanding relationships between locations, people, or systems.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Environmental: How might footwear help people navigate and engage with natural landscapes more responsibly? How can maps embedded in wearables reinforce environmental stewardship?
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Community/Civic: How can shoes support wayfinding in urban areas? How might they enhance accessibility for marginalized groups or provide alternative spatial knowledge beyond traditional maps?
STORYING
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Definition: Storying involves collecting, preserving, or sharing narratives—whether personal, cultural, or environmental—through material, interaction, or embedded technologies.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Environmental: How might footwear record and share environmental changes over time? How could shoes be used to document ecological history, indigenous knowledge, or climate shifts?
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Community/Civic: How might shoes serve as vessels for personal or collective histories? How can wearable storytelling amplify underrepresented voices or community heritage?
AMPLIFYING
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Definition: Amplifying is about enhancing, extending, or making visible aspects of the body, environment, or social systems that might otherwise go unnoticed.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Environmental: How might footwear amplify awareness of ecological changes or our physical impact on landscapes? What does it mean to "enhance" human capability in nature responsibly?
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Community/Civic: How can footwear amplify social and political engagement? What are the ethical concerns of using wearable technology to enhance personal or collective influence?
LEARNING​
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Definition: Learning in this context is about acquiring actionable, context-specific knowledge that enables engagement, adaptation, or advocacy.
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Critical Questions to Consider:
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Environmental: How might footwear help people learn about sustainability, ecosystems, or material impacts through everyday use? How can shoes encourage continuous reflection on our environmental footprint?
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Community/Civic: How could footwear facilitate knowledge-sharing in public spaces? How might it provide access to place-based education or collective learning?
Have another function or purpose that isn't covered by these?
Let's talk about your "wildcard" idea!
Tool Cards
