Design Stories: Exploring Everyday Things

Contents and Introduction (Markiyan & Maria)

(Maria) Take a look into the findings that three fourth year students were able to compile over the course of a semester! Our research spans from the physical attributes of the Samson Dominion Ten-Ten Hairsetter, how it was made, why and who it was marketed towards, what the benefits of this product are, and so on. We found that this artefact had very limited research sources so we took a turn into similar products, competing products and at some point, different hairstyling tools all together.

Observations, Assumptions, and Confusions 

(Markiyan) When observing the product, the first noticeable feature is its modern design. It includes a lid, a set of 10 removable hair rollers of various sizes, and a base that heats the rollers. A light indicator signals when they are warm, and the design also features a simple on-and-off switch. A sticker on the base reveals that it was produced in 1968.

(Maria) Aside from the obvious physical attributes, our group began to make assumptions prior to our formal research. We had deduced that this product was generally targeted toward women, as women during this time were the prominent gender interested in curling/styling their hair. Even though it was clear that this was a hair-styling tool, it seemed as though it was missing some pieces. There was some confusion as to how the rollers were meant to stay in the hair. We assumed that there was some sort of clip to keep the rollers in the hair, and potentially some sort of applicator or glove to avoid burning one’s hands during use. The clips would have been a good selling point to promote convenience, and the gloves or applicator would have promoted safety. Keeping that in mind, part of our assumption turned out to be correct. 

Where did we start?

(Markiyan) Just like anyone starting research, we started with a Google search. This process was quite underwhelming as we found little to no relevant information on the Ten-Ten. What we did find were two eBay listings that gave us a better understanding of how it was sold.
  1. The first thing we noticed was that the product was sold in different colour variations. 
  2. The second thing we noticed was that they have different distributing names. One was sold under the name “Ten-Ten Hair Setter”, while visually the same product was sold as the “Hairsetter” by “Dominion” (eBay n.d).  This will be explored, and explained further in later sections.
  3. The final aspect of this product that these ebay listings revealed, suggested that the Ten-Ten Hair Setter may have originally been sold with accessories such as hair clips and a carrying case. This is suggested through the listing images; one has hairclips and the other includes a case.

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