The fact that my emerging interest in Human Factors/Ergonomics and design (see here) coincided to a large degree with me having to spend a lot of time in toilets due to colitis (see here), has meant I’ve developed a, some would say “unhealthy”, obsession fascination interest in the way toilets and bathrooms are designed. It basically means that every time I go into a toilet or a bathroom, I’m paying more attention to what’s around me than I used to. This will include observing things such as taps, sinks, doors, locks, signage, layout (pretty much everything really!), and thinking about the potential impacts, both positive and negative, that these “99% invisible” features have on aspects of life such as personal hygiene, public health, privacy, accessibility, usability, aesthetics and so on.
As a result, I’ve found my self taking photos that demonstrate these design aspects of toilets, both public and private, and I’ve created a Twitter account, @DunnyDesign, as a place to document, distribute and discuss them. I’m yet to get arrested for taking photos in public toilets, but when the time comes, I hope you’ll contribute to the GoFundMe I will set up for my legal defence!
My hope is that by observing, documenting, and highlighting these details in facilities that are a core component of the built environment, we might be able to find ways to improve the experience and make them more accessible, usable, and safer for the people that utilise them, which, unlike many other aspects of the built environment, is every single one of us.
