I first encountered the Dyson Airblade Tap at Keflavik Airport in Reykjavík. I was fascinated enough by it that I took a picture. I liked that you simply moved your hands to the side after washing your hands to dry your hands. I was also impressed with the speed. The longer time to dry hands for some dryers is a deterrent for using them.
The Dyson Airblade Tap is a hand dryer integrated with the faucet, letting you wash and dry your hands at the same place. Dyson claims that its dry time is 14 seconds. Other benefits Dyson boasts are that it is hygienic, costs up to 69% less to run than other hand dryers, and that it produces up to 74% less carbon dioxide than other hand dryers.
According to a video by Dyson UK, the Dyson Airblade Tap was a successful choice for Keflavik airport. They wanted to avoid the problems of paper towels and water ending up on the floor, problems that would be compounded in the busy environment of the airport. People didn’t have to move around people reaching behind to grab paper towels. Since the dryers saved space previously needed for hand drying areas, extra toilet cubicles could be installed to reduce congestion.
Admittedly, it can be confusing at first to know what to do. Instructions for use are behind the device, but it would be ideal if users could figure out how to use it solely based on its design. As Don Norman says in The Design of Everyday Things, simple objects shouldn’t need explanation.
I have previously used one of the other products in Dyson’s Airblade line, dB hand dryer. With this dryer, you place your hand into the dryer and it blows air to dry your hands. This is one of the few dryers I might actually use when I have a choice between a dryer or paper towels. It was fast and, when coupled with a touchless faucet and soap dispenser, let me wash my hands without touching any surfaces. It is also intuitive to use since there is only one thing you can do with the dryer – put your hands in the slot. One concern with the dB dryer is that you might avoid touches the walls of the dryer and that the bottom of the dryer will get covered in dirty water droplets. The Airblade Tap removes those concerns by having the water from your hands go into the sink. It also adds the benefit of saving space in the bathroom. A tradeoff is the less intuitive design.
There is still room for improvement with the Dyson Airblade Tap. If not installed well, it could lead water and soap being blown everywhere. However, it approaches the problem of hand drying in an interesting way. The problem of hand drying involves environmental impact, hygiene, maintenance, and efficiency. The Airblade Tap improves upon some of these concerns but has tradeoffs in its design. Perhaps one day it’ll be normal to dry your hands over the sink, and we’ll find it inconvenient when our only option is to grab a paper towel from the dispenser.