DO:
...BEGIN WITH A PROBLEM
“When I started at Dyson I didn’t even
know what my job fully entailed, as the
hair care category hadn’t even been
launched yet! But I knew Dyson’s core
philosophy is to always start with a
problem then come up with better ideas
and technology to solve it. For hair care,
our research and design teams focused
on what was currently available and the
problems women face with hair tools –
poor style performance or usability, heat
damage, loud and weak airflow – then
we attempted to address these problems
by understanding and using the real
science behind hair.”
...RESEARCH OBSESSIVELY
“Our engineers and scientists studied
hair from root to tip, understanding how it
reacts to stresses, how to keep it looking
healthy and how to style it. We even sent
all our engineers, both male and female,
on a hair course to learn how to create
the styles – it’s a sight to see engineers
handling a hairdryer and brush for the
first time! Throughout years of research,
the products were tested on different hair
types, and mechanical simulations were
created to test different hair drying
techniques, which can differ around the
world. More than 1,625 kilometres of
real human hair were used in testing! It
took hundreds of engineers to develop
the technologies behind the Supersonic
dryer and Airwrap styler, but we really
took the time to understand everything
connected to it.”
...OPEN THE DOOR FOR OTHERS
“During the four years I’ve been with
Dyson, it’s been great to see morefemale engineers come into the business.
I want to act as a role model to reinforce
the importance of representation and
make sure they do the same.”DON’T:
...BE DISCOURAGED BY FAILURE
“Dyson has an ethos that revolves
around risk-taking, free thinking, failing
fast and embracing failure. As engineers,
we’re encouraged to enjoy failure and
learn from it, as you can never really
learn from success.”
...FORGET YOUR CUSTOMER
“We use high-quality materials and test
them to failure, ensuring the consumer is
always getting the best product possible.
For me, it’s inspiring to develop products
that women in my life get excited about.
Why shouldn’t women have technology
that makes them look and feel amazing?That’s why consumers are passionate
about our products – they’ve transformed
the styling experience.”
...GET COMPLACENT
“To stay ahead, we reinvent and disrupt
ourselves constantly. We develop and
manufacture our own technology, too.
Women want products that do what
they say they’ll do, so we need to deliver
what we’ve promised. I want to help us
continue to deliver better products.” E
Shamini, Katia, Vera and Robyn appeared
at ELLE INSPIRES: The Innovators,
brought to you by Dyson Supersonic™CREATE
SOLUTIONS
WITH ROBYN COUTTS,
PRODUCT DESIGN ENGINEER
FOR DYSONBEAUTY BIZ
“WE’RE
ENCOURAGED
to ENJOY
FAILURE
and LEARN
FROM it”Airwrap, $799,
DYSON,
dyson.com.auAs told to: Janna Johnson O’Toole; Kate Lancaster.
Photography: Sevak Babakhani (still-life)