Handle redesign

A shoe horn is something I use every day—and I realized it’s surprisingly uncomfortable. Most are flat, flimsy, and slippery, forcing your fingers and wrist into awkward positions. Over time, that means unnecessary strain and overexertion for a task that should feel effortless.

Through ergonomic analysis, I found several issues: force concentrated in the thumb and pointer finger, wrist bending under load, minimal palm contact, and instability when pulling the shoe horn out. The traditional thin handle encouraged a pinch grip instead of distributing force across the hand.

I explored a wide range of handle types through sketching and foam prototypes—testing different grip profiles, finger grooves, thumb placements, and overall geometries. User testing across multiple hand sizes revealed consistent themes: broader contact surfaces performed and natural hand positions far better.

I ultimately settled on a shovel/fist-grip design, which consistently scored highest in user testing. This geometry allows users to pull with their entire hand rather than just their fingers, generating more force with less strain and eliminating the risk of slipping during removal.

The handle is thicker, offers more contact area for the palm, and includes subtle thumb grooves for both right- and left-handed users. The result is a more neutral wrist position, stronger pulling power, and a grip that works across a wide range of hand sizes.