Deconstructing Product Design

Ball Vacuum Cleaner

James Dyson, 2005

1. The Dyson series of vacuum cleaners has risen from obscurity and humble beginnings to become a dominant force in the premium vacuum cleaner market. The products have a unique aesthetic, appearing as hybrid vacuum cleaner-robots, embodying a design approach perhaps best characterized as elucidative design — an approach more about edifying users in the differential value of the product than seeking either a purely functional or purely beautiful form. James Dyson comments: “I very rarely talk about form because I think performance is much more important — that form has a role because it’s often people’s first impression. But I’d rather say that when you look at the object, you’ve got to be able to tell ...