Benton Barnett

I found this on the internet: Shoes and software

Here’s how most people found a shoe and decided if it was right for them. They’d walk up to the pegboard wall where the shoes were lined up. They’d pick up a few, spin ‘em around, and put them back. Then they’d hone in on one of them because they liked the way it looked. They’d ask for their size, I’d bring it out, and they’d try it on. They’d jam their thumb between their big toe and the tip of the shoe to see if it fit. Then they’d maybe bounce around a bit or “hard walk” to see how the cushioning felt. Then they’d look in the mirror to see how it looked. They’d they’d buy it or repeat the process with another shoe.

The technology didn’t matter. The number of flex grooves didn’t matter. The chemical composition of the insole, midsole, and outsole didn’t matter. What mattered were the absolute basics: Do I like the way it looks, does it fit, and is it comfortable. Sold. All the other things that we were told about the shoe could never represent themselves in a 3 minute try-on anyway. Sole durability didn’t matter now. All the soles were equally durable during a 3 minute walk around on a carpeted store floor. Any talk about a midsole went right over their head. All they knew was “this felt good” or “this is too narrow” or “this rubs my big toe” or “ooh, this is comfortable.” I could explain this stuff all day long, but their realization always trumped my explanation.