TIMBERLAND / WEAR TESTING

Building Timberland’s
Wear-Testing Program

I built the Timberland-side tester database and develop the surveys, interviews, and recruitment workflows used to organize wear tests.

ROLE: Associate Product Performance Engineer
PLATFORM: Smartsheet
PARTICIPANT DATABASE: Approximately 300 Timberland testers

The work

Timberland had conducted wear testing on a smaller scale. My role is to help establish a more consistent program that can support testing across the company.

I built the Timberland database to bring tester information and study participation into one place. Profiles include foot-scan information, self-reported footwear sizes by category, location, testing interests, and previous participation.

What I own

Building and maintaining the Timberland tester database.
Developing wear-test surveys and study-specific interest workflows.
Organizing recruitment and participant follow-up.
Conducting individual wear-test feedback interviews.

The database gives each study a consistent starting point for reviewing participant information and recording involvement.

One study: recruitment to follow-up

A July 2026 wear test required participants who could wear a men’s size 9 sample. The Smartsheet interest workflow captured each person’s stated size, availability, contact information, submission date, and the study they were responding to.

After the wear period, I conducted an individual feedback review with a selected tester. The documented workflow connects study-specific recruitment with participant follow-up.

Related research, with shared credit

Fit-and-comfort survey. I co-developed a fit-and-comfort survey with VF Analytics and the Timberland team, starting with early drafts alongside my managers. The survey received 560+ responses. I helped analyze the data and present findings to Timberland leadership to inform fit-and-comfort improvements across teams.

Foot scanning. I helped introduce Volumental foot scanning at Timberland and co-hosted an event with my manager that scanned 200+ people in one day. Scanning has continued within the company.

Lab testing and product teams. I support my manager’s footwear-performance testing. I work with merchandisers on earlier competitor-set planning and present lab and wearer-research findings in women’s, sneakers, and factory-value category meetings.

Collaboration across VF

I helped build a VF Corporation-wide fit-and-wear database with Vans and The North Face, bringing together 1,000+ wear testers. This was a collaborative effort; I personally built the Timberland-side database and workflows.

I also collaborate across VF on foot scanning, fit testing, and shared testing practices. Moving from Smartsheet to Airtable remains a planned next step.