User Centered

Our office building recently upgraded (eye of the beholder I guess) to the Dyson Airblade. It's pretty novel the first couple of uses, although it doesn't exactly communicate its function as clearly as possible.

It operates using sensors and timers. The timer really needs one of those countdown displays you find at the automated car wash dryers. You know, as you're driving out of the carwash a big overhead/side dryer kicks in and a countdown begins letting you know how long you have? Well, it's the same idea here. In fact, the hand dryer works in pretty much the exact same way. You stick your hands in there and slowly pull them out, the airflow "squeegees" off the water from your hand as you pull them out.

The biggest gripe I have with it is in the sensors used to detect a hand is in there. I must have particularly small fingertips, because the Dyson Airblade will ALWAYS cut off just right as I get to the end of my hand (fingertips) causing me to walk out feeling like I just dipped my hand in a glass of water.

After talking with my coworkers, I've found that this is not an uncommon situation (thankfully, my fingertips are normal). In commiserating, we've all shared our workarounds for getting fully dry hands, all are a variant of the (thusly defined/coined) "Dyson Shuffle" and the "Dyson Flap."

• Dyson Shuffle: This action involves keeping one hand fully inserted into the Airblade while the other dries off, this allows one hand to dry while keeping the sensor active. Then, while dry, you move it back into the Airblade to dry the other hand. This looks a lot like a DJ working the ones and twos.
• Dyson Flap: Same idea, but this has both hands moving up, then you quickly move your hands in from the side before the sensor shuts off the device to repeat the process. This move looks sort of like Michael Phelps doing a butterfly stroke. Logic- two quick dries equals one full dry

Of course, all this is to illustrate the silliness of the whole matter. How about just repositioning your sensor to accurately detect the hand? or perhaps extend by an extra second or two the airflow before shutting off?