Hair Salon initial research

Me, Jesse, and Adam have started our ventures through different hair salons. We thought we would visit salons from different ‘levels’- so from low end student center hair cuttery to upscale Buckhead salon. The first hour of research was a little frustrating. We went to the Great Clips in Tech Square and the woman just could not understand what we were doing. She firmly told us they were busy (that’s just exactly what we were looking for, nbd). Then she took our information and said she would get back to us. So then we walked to an upscale hair salon nearby and saw they were closed. As we were calling Aveda Hair Institute, we realized that a lot of salons do not open Mondays. Rough.

So we went to the student center, which was a success. We got a ton of information. None of us realized there were so many problems going on. To begin with, there were no specific spots for most of the appliances, except for the dryer. And the counter in front of the mirror was so small that barely any of it fit on there. There were no other trays or cabinets, just one under the mirror. The shampoo stations were up against the wall, which should just always be avoided because you can’t get behind the client. We met Wayne while were there, an employee who’s been with them for 3 years. Wayne told us that since the shampoo stations were backed up to the wall, he had to lean in awkward positions, which caused his back to hurt. They have strict sanitation laws, and use various forms of Barbicide to disinfect everything.

The chairs were not connected to the ground, so when one of the clients tried to sit down, the chair went forward. The idea of a non-stationary chair is great for things like wheelchairs, but may cause problems in non-disabled persons. I noticed that the stylist we were watching kept rotating the chair so that she could comfortably work by outlets, which forced the customer to look away from the mirror. The other stylist who was more experienced did not have the same habit.

I then ran into my roommate, who’s mother worked as a stylist for 20 years. She gave us a lot of valuable information. She has acquired so many health problems because of working- like arthritis, bursitis, a pinched nerve in her neck, and bad knees, hips, and shoulders. This is because of constantly standing on your feet with little or no breaks, and having your arms up most of the time. I asked her if it would help if she was sitting down in a stool while she worked, and she said absolutely not, the stylist has to be moving around at all times so sitting down and rolling a chair would be time consuming. She suggested very comfortable shoes, and a thick mat.

The next morning we went to visit Aveda Hair Institute, where we were received very well. They gave us a comprehensive tour and then let us roam around. Aveda is a learning salon, so all of the mirrors and drawers are movable and thin to fit as many stylists on the floor as they can. The first thing I noticed about the stations were the holes the drawers had to fit the appliances. They were slanted, there were only three, and the dryer didn’t fit when the nozzle was attached. We met Jen and she slowly opened up to us about some of the issues there. She said there was a lot of space for your stuff, but not a place for your stuff. All of her books and tools were thrown about it her cabinets.

We thought maybe it might be a good idea to have the chairs only turn 180 degrees instead of 360. There’s no need for it to, and the customer would still easily be able to get out of the chair. Also Wayne at the student center told us about high end salons where the appliances come down from the ceiling, and when they’re need the stylist just pulls it down.

We also didn’t see any place for the customer to put their belongings. Most of them kept their bags on the laps. The magazines were on the floor, which made it difficult for the customer to pick them up mid-cut.

I think those were all the main issues. We will probably revisit these places throughout the project.

-Sarah

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