Dyson, techno-centric design and social consumption

Summary

As a design engineer I’ve spent plenty of time mulling over what ‘good’ design is. The question is complex and is a starting point for reflecting on our role as designers, how design should interact with society and what even constitutes design! I recently visited the Glasgow Zine Festival and picked up a wee zine about one man’s hatred of James Dyson, which has inspired me to put some of my own thoughts on the topic down in words. I'm going to focus on formal design elements but if you want reminding of James Dyson's billionaire hypocricy I recommend you pick up a copy. Or, just read the news. Design follows technology Technology, innovation and advancements can solve problems that make our lives easier and more enjoyable. When working with new technology, designers act as interpreters between the tech and their users – ensuring that users can understand how to use the technology, that it fits their needs, etc. Dyson tends to adopt an extreme attitude to technology compared to other consumer brands: the technology comes first. That approach worked well for the first wave of innovation for Dyson, giving them a product functionally superior to their competitors. But they then decided to codify that approach into their brand DNA. The celebration of progress and technology have featured in a number of design movements like Futurism and High-Tech. Showy, impressive and novel, “technology-first” or "tech-push" design may be influential but is cursed to never get the balance right between celebrating technology and user needs. Technology is only useful to the extent that it is, well, useful. Dyson is no exception and for a long time it seemed to me as if their engineering team held sway over all design decisions. But having thought about it more, I think it’s the opposite; marketing and a certain type of “style follows sales” design are in the driving seat. I’ll explore that more in the next section. Some examples where I think Dyson products embrace technology to the ove...