Female centred design.qxp_Layout 2 19/10/2021 10:03 Page 1
GARDENING DESIGN
A front garden Elly MerleinisRedland CEO of user-centred designed product development consultancy Kinneir Dufort on Host Street
XX = innovation
Merle Hall – founder of Bristol’s XXEquals, the UK’s first female-led product design initiative – highlights some ‘sheconomy’ greatest hits, closing the gap between perception and reality in womens’ design
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any women do not realise that the products they rely on, day in, day out, are not designed with their needs in mind. Product designers are responsible for developing apps, gadgets, furniture, appliances and more for billions of people worldwide, but did you know only a fraction of these professionals are women? In the UK alone, only 5% of the product design industry is made up of women. Of course, there are many fantastic male product designers, but only women can bring an innate understanding of the needs of other women in the product innovation process. The imbalance has led to a male-by-default design approach, which is not inclusive of other consumers. Don’t women and people who identify as women deserve better than this? Merle Hall, CEO of Bristol-based, world-leading product design consultancy, Kinneir Dufort (KD), thinks so. To illustrate this point, she has created a list of some products which clearly demonstrate why we need more women in product design, followed by a few female-centred successes.
Products used by women but designed by men: 1) Bioform bra – Seymour Powell
Seymour Powell developed Bioform bra for Charnos, which was featured on Channel 4’s Better By Design back in 2000. It was designed to give support to women with large breasts, but women reported it painfully pinching into their skin and lifting the breasts too high, causing another kind of discomfort.
2) G-Force vacuum – James Dyson
James Dyson’s G-Force vacuum cleaner came out in 1986 in Japan. It was heavy, awkward and bulky and, therefore, difficult for women to use. But, hey, it was pink! Since then, thankfully, the design has much improved, but there is always room for further development.
64 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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NOVEMBER 2021
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No 204
3) Kenwood Chef mixer – Sir Kenneth Grange In the ’60s, Sir Kenneth Grange redesigned the Kenwood Chef mixer. Deliberately made to be heavy, Grange believed consumers thought its weight reflected high quality. As you can imagine, this was not ideal for women expected to cook at home for their families every day.
4) iPhone – Jony Ive
The first iPhone, designed by Jony Ive, may be iconic but I think it still lacks inclusive design. If you have ever struggled to handle a smartphone, it is probably because female consumers are not a big enough part of the development. Women’s hands are, on average, around an inch smaller than men’s, which can make ever-increasing screen sizes problematic. Texting one-handed on a 4.7-inch (12cm) or bigger smartphone can be difficult – or even impossible – for many women (and small-handed men).
5) Pinky Gloves – Eugen Raimkulow, Andre Ritterswürden
Eugen Raimkulow and Andre Ritterswürden, who created Pinky Gloves, received 30,000 Euros in investment after pitching on the German equivalent of Dragons’ Den – Die Höhle der Löwen (The Lions’ Cave) – in early 2021. The pink plastic gloves were designed for women to wear when removing tampons, to prevent menstrual blood getting onto their hands. Following a huge backlash from women on social media and from the world’s press, Pinky Gloves products were removed from the market.
6) Playgirl – Douglas Lambert
Douglas Lambert decided to create a competitor ‘feminist’ title to the very successful Playboy and Penthouse magazines. His new publication, Playgirl, launched in 1973, however, instead of flocks of women swiping copies from the shelves, the readership quickly became predominantly gay men.
