Footwear Quality Evaluation Using the Quality Index

In accordance with Global Industry Analysts, the world footwear market is expected to reach approximately 195 billion Euro in 2015. The quality index is an instrument for the footwear quality evaluation, which allows ranking the products and the producers. It gives the buyer information on price justification. The quality index (Iq) characterises a product in relation to its attributes: comfort (Ic), wear behaviour (Ip), aesthetics and style (Ie). One cannot talk about quality as an attribute without degrees of comparison. Quality cannot be only a superlative. Based on its attributes and the degree to which it fulfils its functions, footwear can respond to certain needs for quality to a greater or smaller extent. The quality index can be calculated for a new or used product, with or without the user's opinion. These indexes are determined based on the reference structure and the destination of that product. The maximum score (100) is considered when the requirement is totally fulfilled, while the minimum score (0) is given when the requirement is not fulfilled. The score can be determined in comparison with another product that can be the control product or not, or based on the personal experience of the person carrying out the evaluation. The aim of this study is to prove reliability of this quality evaluation system. For this, three models of men's shoes were selected and a group of 11 persons, women and men, were asked to give scores for each requirement.