5 Public Restroom Products that Need A UX Facelift By Tory Darling, Codal Inc
______________________________________________________ The public restroom is one of the only places that the majority of the population has experienced. The past five years specifically, public restrooms have been adding technology changes to a generally monotonous environment. It's the technology of automation that is transforming the functionality of bathrooms. Although these technology additions’ purposes are to make going to the restroom more efficient, the lack of UX involved in the products is astonishing. Below is a dive deeper into the drawbacks of some of these products and how with the help of UX design services these issues can be mitigated. The Hand Dryer As the world becomes more and more eco-friendly, restrooms across the world are replacing the paper towels with hand dryers-automatic hand dryers. This may seem like a pretty straightforward functionality of a hand dryer, but oftentimes user’s struggle in getting the system to turn on. There are two ways this process can be improved. One, you can modify the product in a way that waving in any direction and any speed would turn on the fan. Or two, you can improve the usability with a UX design agency to clearly indicate to the user how to properly turn on the dryer, without any outside assistance. Below is a automatic hand dryer that clearly indicates to wave your hand over the sensor button from left to right. Without such indication and the button, the user can do it incorrectly or simply not understand it was an automatic dryer. It is the subtle details that are key for usability.
The Toilet As arguably the most important product of the restroom, ensuring the best user experience is critical. Especially with the emergence of automatic flush, accuracy and design for the user is absolutely necessary. The main way to go about making sure every component of this product is conducive for the user is using UX research services. Through various tests, capturing data to improve upon the functionality of the toilet, beyond the pre-conceived assumption is where true innovation lies, even for a toilet. The Stall One of the aspects of a restroom yet to be touched by technology improvements is the bathroom stall. Although there are many aspects that can be using revamping, the aspect that needs immediate attention is an indication when the stall is in use. Simply indicating when the particular stall is in use can clear up common confusion in a public restrooms. The Sink The process of automating the sink and soap dispenser is not only a way to a way to improve the user experience but it is also an opportunity to monitor and limit overuse of both water and soap, overtime potentially saving money on supplies. Conceptually, limiting how long the water runs and how much soap the individual is given is a beneficial one. Although if proper testing by a ​UX design company​ is not conducted, inaccurate measurements will not be followed, resulting in the user needing to double the amount of resources they use at each instance.
The Restock Unlike the other products, restocking is more of a process than a product but is a step that fails to seamlessly efficient. Unless a staff member is constantly checking each bathroom, knowledge of the need to restock will not be known, that is where IoT comes into play. IoT would be a perfect solution to such a common problem. For example, The Amazon Dash button allows a one step process in which you can simply press and an immediate order is on its way. Simply having a button that indicates when something is out is an effective way to ensure the restocking is more efficient.
Conclusion These different components of a restroom are very simplistic in nature, but with the inclusion of advancing technology, usability needs to be a top priority. Especially at such a basic level, these modifications of these products need to first priority so future innovations can be applied. Looking for more insight on UX design services? Are you wanting to develop an app and you need to know the cost to develop an app is? Visit Codal’s blog, or come talk to us here! We’d love to hear from you.
Codal Inc App Development & UX Design Agency www.codal.com