When moving in Shotokan there are a few things you want to keep in mind. First and foremost is to keep your feet on the ground (unless you are jumping for a reason). I know this sounds silly, but let me explain. Having both feet on the ground adds stability to all stances. It also makes it more difficult (though not impossible) to fall victim to a foot sweep. When you are walking and/or changing stances, you want to glide the foot across the floor. Raise it enough to move it, but always be sure you are in contact with the floor.

When advancing and/or retreating in a stance, there are two ways that you should move the feet. If the stance is a forward facing one (forward stance - zenkutsu-dachi) you want to use a crescent step to move forward and back. If the stance is side facing (back stance - kokutsu-dachi) you should use a shuffle step.

Crescent Step
The crescent step is so named because the feet follow a semi-circle (crescent) path when moving. For example, let's assume you are in a left forward stance. To move forward, slide you rear (right) foot up and in to your front (left) foot, so that both are next to each other. Be sure to keep the knees bent so that you maintain the same height as the feet move. You don't want to telegraph that you are moving. Next, slide the right out and away from the left, until you are in a proper right forward stance. If you look back and can picture the path your right foot followed, you'll see it resembles a crescent.
You're probably asking "Why crescent step?" Firstly, it protects the groin. If you were to just move the rear foot straight up to the next stance, in the middle of the movement, you'd be facing an opponent in kiba-dachi. Not a good idea, if you know what I mean. Secondly, the crescent step keeps both feet on the floor for better balance and root. Third, by keeping the knees bent as you move, you maintain the same stance height, which stops you from bobbing up and down and possibly telegraphing an attack.

Shuffle Step
The shuffle step does exactly what it says.

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