James Dyson is a very logical and practical inventor who puts a ton of research and thought into his creations. After watching the video “James Dyson discusses innovation, bringing new products to market and more“, most of his products were made because he found an annoying aspect to it and wanted to improve it. For example, the Ballbarrow was created because he didn’t like how wheelbarrows were designed– the wheel sunk into the ground, the metal pieces would damage your house, and cement would stick onto it. The Dyson vacuum cleaners were also inspired by his frustration towards a bagged vacuum and the technology behind how a vacuum cleaner collects dust. James Dyson emphasized the idea of interaction and improving in small increments, as well as the idea that failure can be an exciting process of inventing. It shows how he is someone who strives to create a product that is nearly perfect.
Looking closer at the design of the Ballbarrow and vacuum cleaners, perhaps the Ballbarrow inspired the rotational technology in the vacuum cleaner. This rotational ball part is another key aspect of the innovative vacuum clear design. It makes it easier for people to reach areas that are hard to clean. In the video “James Dyson launches new Dyson vacuum with laser technology“, he demonstrates the various vacuum cleaners models, but each one seems to have this smooth rotating mechanism. Whether this is just a coincidence or intentional, it’s still interesting to see how something in a completely different product can be reiterated in another product.
It’s also amazing how Dyson focuses on problems that are quite particular. For instance, as someone who sheds a lot of hair, hair getting tangled in the brush bars is a very annoying problem but we sort of just accept it. My family often uses a Roomba (but the version we have is like a cheap Chinese knockoff) to vacuum the rooms and every time hair gets tangled. So it’s awesome to see a vacuum cleaner that won’t have that problem no matter how long or how much hair there is. This ties into what we are doing for Challenge 2 in this course: finding a problem that is particular to us and creating a solution for it. Who knows, maybe our prototypes will end up like Dyson.
While Dyson is mainly known for their vacuum cleaners, other products like the fans, hair care products, and hand dryers are also pretty well known. Like we discussed briefly in class, Dyson puts a lot of effort in researching how to manipulate airflow to create these products. As I was looking through the website, I also found out that Dyson has lamps. Like the name of the product, Lightcycle Morph, the lamp adjusts the color of the light depending on the day. It can even rotate to attach to the overall structure, serving as a long tube light instead of a reading light. Again, this product is innovative and really cool to see.
Aside products, Dyson is also working in the farming industry. Dyson is apparently one of the largest producers of peas in England, which is something that I never would’ve expected a company that makes vacuum cleaners to be specialized in. In the video on farming, one part that stood out to me is how Dyson is turning an activity that requires physical labor into something more technological. Some say that agriculture is the future, and through Dyson we can see how.
Some final thoughts: if we compare him to Philippe Starck, both take everyday products and turn it into something cool, but Starck’s designs are impractical with an artistic intention while Dyson’s designs are logically created with an intention to solve a certain problem. One other thing to note is that they both create for people, but the products are quite expensive. Dyson is known for having super expensive products, but at the end of the day we’re investing in the innovative design and not necessarily the bare minimum functionality. We could get a $100 vacuum cleaner, but it won’t have all the little details in it. I feel like this is what makes Dyson so special.