Foot health is an important aspect of a person’s general health as foot problems can severely impact a person’s mobility and quality of life. Foot ulcers are one of the most severe forms of foot-related disease. They can be caused by a range of (often interrelated) diseases such as diabetes, vascular disease and peripheral neuropathy (i.e. loss of feeling in nerves in a person’s extremities). Foot ulcers require timely intervention because, if left untreated, they can ultimately lead to foot amputations. Diabetic patients with foot ulcers have a high rate of morbidity - on par with aggressive forms of cancer (Armstrong et al., 2013, p. 1816).

Each year in Australia there are more than 4,400 amputations resulting from diabetes and this is the second highest rate in the developed world (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare, 2016). Evidence-based care for Australians with diabetic foot ulcers could save the health system approximately $2.7 billion over a five year period (Cheng et al., 2017).

The bio-designed mycelium insole developed in this project could help to address this pressing problem in Australia, and potentially it could also be administered across the globe to provide a cost-effective, fast-growing product that facilitates foot health awareness. After some initial background research, the MyHeel design team decided to expand the scope of their project to consider neighbouring countries in the South Pacific region which have some of the highest rates of diabetes in the world and limited access to foot health care aid. For example, the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea all ranked in the top 11 countries for prevalence of diabetes in 2019 - and the South Pacific island of Kiribati is ranked first for the highest rate of diabetes in the world.

Importantly, the MyHeel smart insoles help to address the major problem of waste in the healthcare industry, as they provide an environmentally-friendly alternative to regular orthotics. Orthotics currently on the market are typically made of carbon fiber or plastic (Nall, 2019), and they have a relatively short lifespan of two to three years (Applied Biomechanics, 2018). Therefore, the mycelium-grown MyHeel smart insoles encourage users to get in touch with their feet, without causing unneeded harm to the environment.

User Journey Map

The user journey map describes the user's process of using the product and the expected emotional journey.