SharkNinja · Senior Designer
2023
Shark's answer to the Revlon One Step was SmoothStyle, launched in 2023 at $99.99. The goal was straightforward: take two existing hair tools and combine them into one.
UI ring rotates into three heat modes followed by tines only mode.
The value came from genuinely having two tools in one. With airflow on, it worked as a hot air brush to dry hair. Switching to the tines mode turns the airflow turns off because its meant to be used on dry hair. Even without air moving, the brush still functions to align the hair and creating the tension necessary for the tines to impart an effective style.
P1 exploration, leadership preferred having a necked down area for the hand rather than the ID preference of the straight taper
SmoothStyle held its place in the lineup for years, priced well below most dual-mode competitors. It was eventually replaced by Glossi, its more refined heated-tine successor. The team realized that combining heated tines and airflow on Glossi was far more effective than having the modes work independently.
The product has an LED indicator on both sides below the tines to signify to the user when the tool is ready to use, these are off in the hairdryer mode
Boston, MA