Introducing Sizeadvisor.com: Find shoes that fit

Originally Posted by kgmessier

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I think this is great, Claus! I'll have you know that I'm generally somewhere between a US 9E and a US 9.5D (closer to the 9.5). The results align nicely with my personal experiences.

High five!

- Keith

I got the exact same results as you based on my 1 AE input (9D, too large) and my measurements so it isn't working for me. In dress shoes I expect 7.5-8.5 to be about right (I do wear 9-9.5 in sneakers though). I'm not going to draw any conclusions until more data is in the system though.

Originally Posted by kgmessier

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I think this is great, Claus! The results align nicely with my personal experiences.High five!

High Five! Oh, and the european variant:

Originally Posted by Icehawk

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I got the exact same results as you based on [...] my measurements so it isn't working for me. [...] I'm not going to draw any conclusions until more data is in the system though.

Thanks for the feedback. You're right, more data is needed and a stricter calibration. Then, you'll get the recommendations from guys "closer" to you in terms of foot measurements.

Just added two more ratings for ya.

Originally Posted by kgmessier

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Just added two more ratings for ya.
Thanks, kgmessier! BTW, it's probably time for an update on the progress for all those who are not members of the ALPHA testing team:

• Sizeadvisor now got a new -- and hopefully easier -- form to add shoe fit ratings. You need to have Javascript enabled, though.
• Also, it's now optional to enter a last; if you don't know what last was used for your shoes, you can leave the field empty. A generic 'Unknown' is inserted automatically.
• Moreover, there are lots of shoes brands in the database now -- over 60! And you can now add ratings for any of them. If I missed an important one, please let me know.
• You can also add ratings if you have no profile yet. Just use the link in the sidebar.

I also have a request: If here's anyone who knows about the widths Alden offers, please drop me a line. I would like to add their notation but I haven't found a complete list. Thanks in advance!

The site's really coming together. Just needs a few more members with big-flipper shaped feet to join so I can try recommendations

Well, there's still a lot to do, but yes, I think we're getting there. There have been a few changes during the last weeks, but a rather recent one is the 'Wanted' list: Wanted ratings at Sizeadvisors This hopefully makes it easier to see if you can help. Adding a rating is now really easy: It's three mouseclicks minimum if the shoe is on that list. It's a little bit more if you need to edit the name or the size. It's also useful if you're after a shoe that's not recommended yet. For example:

• You'd really like to get your first Edward Green and you're looking forward to this year's winter sale. But you're not quite sure on the sizing yet. Now you can add the sizes you think may be right. This increases your chances to get solid recommendations before the sale. After all, it's still 6 months time.
• You're contemplating about getting shoes from one of the regular style forum sellers, say Vass. Again, you may not be sure about the correct size. Adding a request may help you find people who are kind enough to answer and provide fit ratings.
• etc., etc.

Another change worth mentioning is the added support for Brannock shoe sizes. You can now add them in your profile. This will be used for 'forum style' recommendations, say "I'm a X on the Brannock devise, and I'm considering to get a Park Avenue by Allen Edmonds. What size is most likely to fit?" An answer might be something like "I take the same size but go up one width from my Brannock size." Of course, it will look different on the site, since it aggregates the ratings but the result will be basically the same. There were also some minor changes and bug fixes, but the above two points are probably the most important right now.

Originally Posted by Claus

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Well, there's still a lot to do, but yes, I think we're getting there.

There have been a few changes during the last weeks, but a rather recent one is the 'Wanted' list:

Wanted ratings at Sizeadvisor

This hopefully makes it easier to see if you can help. Adding a rating is now really easy: It's three mouseclicks minimum if the shoe is on that list. It's a little bit more if you need to edit the name or the size....
So is there nothing one can do without an invitation code, yet? I happen to have shoes on the "wanted" list, but it appears that I can neither register nor browse existing shoe info w/o an invitation code.

Opps, sorry. I've totally forgotten that one.

Any site updates for us, Claus?

- Keith

Yeah, sorry. I'm know I'm behind my sort-of-usual two weeks update.

The new data I got after the last update introduced an unexpected challenge. So, I've spend most of the time generating statistics to examine the issue. That lead to a few ideas for improvements. There's nothing final yet but it looks promising.

However, what's most visible right now: The domain changed! The site is now called Sizeadvisors. I have two reasons for this, one of them being that the new name hopefully better reflects what the site is all about. Sorry about the inconvenience; please update your bookmarks.

In the next weeks I hope to be able to:

• add a requirement for at least three ratings,
  
• add more consistency checks to detect typos and bogus data,
  
• remove the invitation code requirement,
  
• make an announcement in other forums,
  
• create a better display of the sizes already been rated,
  
• repeat the statistics, hopefully with a larger sample size, and
  
• add a blog to present and discuss the results.

Please be patient, I'm not Google.

Really looking forward to new invitation codes, I'd really like to participate.

I'm quite fed up with the situation here in Germany/Switzerland where
a) it's hard to find most brands
b) they won't stock most sizes and often only order them if you guarantee you'll buy
c) prices are through the roof (appr. 500 CHF for AE? 800 CHF for Shell Alden? Yes, sure!)
But buying over the internet without being able to try shoes on first, meh. I'm sure there is a big demand for something like your project!

Just use the Sizeadvisors' Get Notified page -- I'll sent out a new one this evening. In general, invitations are sent out every few days. I won't make them public anymore; this seems to trigger some sort of primeval reaction: "Mine, mine, mine!" After the rush, these guys than seem to wake up and be sort of disappointment because the site doesn't offer anything without their participation.

Seems like a nice idea for those in a pinch, but it's a little too much work for my taste. Some of the guys here, whose lives are centered by internet clothing issues, will like it.

Originally Posted by vincerich

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... it's a little too much work for my taste.

Hey, no problem. The site is certainly not for everybody. Thanks for the feedback.

Originally Posted by Claus

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...

In the next weeks I hope to be able to:

• add a requirement for at least three ratings,
  ...

Please be patient, I'm not Google.

Hi Claus,

Do you mean 3 ratings to be a member, or 3 ratings of a particular shoe before the data is used? The latter could restrict useful information on rarer shoes (particularly until membership grows).

Thanks.