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"You want me to pull this thing? That’s way more physical contact than I’m comfortable with." This. Hand-operated manual flush levers on urinals need to die.
by beloch 11y ago
"You want me to pull this thing?
That’s way more physical contact than I’m comfortable with."
This. Hand-operated manual flush levers on urinals need to die. Why? I happen to be flexible enough to flush urinals with my feet. I usually feel too self-conscious to do this if other people are present, but if I'm alone I do it every time. I know I'm not the only person who does this, so I also know that whatever is on the floor of bathrooms has a high probability of coating flush levers too. This behaviour is probably even more common for sit-down toilets because the handles are lower and privacy is greater.
Motion detectors work. You almost never see foot pedals, oddly enough. I really hate the two-mode flush buttons on toilets that are too small to hit with your foot, not that it will stop me from trying.
UX lesson: Pay attention to people's pre-existing habits. You can try to force people to use your interface in a certain way but, if there are no tangible benefits, they may insist on mashing it with their boots.
- JustSomeNobody 11y agoFirst thing I do when I walk into a public bathroom is stuff paper towels in my back pocket. That way, if I can't use my feet, I at least have something I can use to get between me and nastiness.
- function_seven 11y agoI wash my hands after using the bathroom.
- delinka 11y agoAnd having a few paper towels as barriers between one's skin and nasty surfaces doesn't preempt washing after. But it certainly cut down on accidentally spreading the nastiness around before you get the chance to wash up.
- JustSomeNobody 11y agoI do to.
- maxerickson 11y agoThe state here now only installs waterless urinals. I guess with people having the easy choice to wash their hands after touching floor contaminated handles, making the doors open out (or go doorless like in new Walmarts) solves most of it.
- Symbiote 11y agoWell that's nice of you... Does this include the toilets at work, or just in dirty places? (Which can be a lot of places, in certain countries.) Urinals in much of the world don't include a flush. It's probably more considerate of you to skip flushing the urinal.
- maw 11y agoYou almost never see foot pedals, oddly enough. Depends on where you are. They're quite common in Mexico although not universal.
- 7952 11y agoWhat possible difference could it make to your hygiene considering your hands are already dirty? The only way to have clean hands is to wash them.
- douche 11y agoEh, are you really going to die if you have to touch a urinal handle that might have had a little splash on it? Anyway, this reminds me of an old joke: A doctor, a forester, and an old-time Mainer walked into a restroom and used the urinals. Afterwards, the doctor walked over to the sink, and used copious amounts of soap, hot water and hand towels washing his hands. "At med school, they taught me the importance of making sure your hands are good and clean," he said. The forester walked over to the sink, and washed his hands, using the barest minimum amount of towels to dry off. "At forestry school, they taught me the importance of conserving natural resources," he said. The old timer walked straight out of the bathroom, saying as he went, "I graduated from East Millinocket Elementary school, and they taught me not to piss on my fingers."
- Fomite 11y agoHonestly, as an Epidemiologist, you should view hand washing less as "I got pee on my hands" and far more "You have to pee regularly, and bathroom implies water, which implies the ability to wash your hands. You should probably wash your hands." You should also wash your hands before eating. And after laundry. And all manner of other things. It's just a particularly convenient prompt.
- rascul 11y agoI hate the motion sensor flushes. They almost always flush while I'm in the middle of using the urinal and end up spraying me. I've been told that the color of your shirt makes a difference, but I haven't noticed.