Ayah Bdeir has made a substantial breakthrough in engineering, making her paramount in the field. She is the founder and head of LittleBits, which is an open hardware company made up of budding electronics geared towards innovation in 21st century education and entertainment. This award-winning empire consists of building blocks that can be generated to visionary and ingenious inventions.
Described as “One of the 50 Smartest Companies in 2016,” and one of the “Popular Mechanics’ 25 Makers who are Reinventing the American Dream,” Bdeir is inevitably an acclaimed leader in engineering. The multifaceted pioneer spoke to Wassila Ayoub about her budding electronics empire, breaking stereotypes in a male dominated field, and how she sets herself apart from other engineers.
Ayah speaking at TED.
Tell me a little about yourself and your electronic empire.
I am the founder and CEO of littleBits, a hardware startup empowering kids everywhere to become inventors. My career and education have centered on making STEM/STEAM, 21st century learning and invention with technology, more accessible to people around the world. As an electrical engineer and alumna of the MIT Media Lab, I founded littleBits in 2011 to democratize hardware and allow everyone, regardless of age, gender, technical ability or discipline, to be creative with electronics and reinvent their world. Today, littleBits products are sold in more than 60 countries around the world and can be found in over 5,000 schools and makerspaces.
What personal characteristics should a person have to be a successful engineer?
You should love problem solving - not only the end result but the trial and error that you do to get there.
What was your first “win” that made you confident your empire would explode into popularity?
In December of 2011, we started selling our first littleBits product, and it sold out in just two weeks. We were surprised by how broad the customer base was, as the product appealed to parents, teachers, hobbyists, designers and even entrepreneurs. Shortly after that, our team got a call from NASA about a potential collaboration on a product to get kids excited about space. When NASA calls, you know you have a “winning” product.
How does littleBits define success?
My team and I are on a mission to inspire kids everywhere to become creative inventors with the help of littleBits electronic building blocks. Ultimately we want everyone — regardless of age, gender, background or discipline — to have the problem-solving skills and creative confidence to invent the world they want to live in. Success to us means having littleBits in every school and home to help achieve that goal.
In such a male-dominated, how do you break gender stereotype?
Always try to take being a woman out of the equation first. Don’t waste your time even thinking about being a female engineer. You are simply an engineer. Save that brain space for creativity and productive work.
How do you set yourself apart from other engineers? How do you stay on top of your game?
As an engineer and maker, it is vital to always stay inspired. Luckily, I have an amazing littleBits community of inventors that never cease to amaze and motivate me. Whenever I’m stuck on a problem or just need a boost, I go to the invention page or open the littleBits app to see what new inventions people have uploaded that day. They always impress me with their ingenuity and creativity, and it helps to remind me why I’m here and pushing littleBits to be the best it can be.
What is the biggest risk that you have taken while managing your budding electronic empire?
Deciding to launch a hardware company at all is a huge risk. It’s not like creating an app. Hardware involves upfront costs, long lead times, minimum quantities and a host of other challenges.
When designing the product, what are some of the choices you’ve made to keep littleBits gender-neutral?
Every aspect of our littleBits products – from the colour of our circuit boards to our packaging to the inventions we feature – has been deliberately designed to be gender-neutral and accessible to everyone, to unleash creativity and instil a love of STEAM – regardless of gender – through the power of play and invention.
What advice would you give to your younger self at the onset of littleBits?
Always be testing and iterating! At littleBits we’ve gotten a lot better over the years about conducting user testing, using every interaction with customers as an opportunity to collect feedback and refine the product. I would advise my younger self to start this even sooner.
