MEET THE Designers:
Maria Pawelka
linkedin.com/in/maria-pawelka
SUMMARY
My project began with a simple question: why does fitness equipment feel like it wasn’t made for most of us? Through research, interviews, and ergonomic studies, I uncovered major gaps in how grip sizes and handle shapes are designed. I created a modular testing toolkit that gathers real hand data to challenge those assumptions. What I found is clear: current equipment excludes many users. This work matters because it gives designers the data to build truly inclusive equipment.
challenge
I identified a major gap between how fitness equipment is designed and how diverse users actually grip and interact with it. Manufacturers rely on outdated, male-centric anthropometric data, leaving women and smaller-handed users underserved. Through research, testing, and ergonomic analysis, I found unmet needs around comfort, safety, and performance. The opportunity is a data-driven system that gives designers real human measurements to create more inclusive equipment.
Outcome
The project evolved into the Human-Scale Grip Lab: a set of interchangeable clamp-on handles with embedded sensors and a digital interface that translates user data into design recommendations. This outcome directly answers stakeholder needs for better anthropometric accuracy and inclusive fit. It provides a practical, repeatable method for designers to evaluate grip performance, addressing a major market gap where inclusive testing tools simply don’t exist.
