Step one to building a better mousetrap: Forget the old mousetrap

My alma mater just built a new dorm, and have installed eco-friendly toilets in it. Here’s one, via a story in the newspaper I once worked for:

They’re simple enough to use: Push the handle up if you pissed, or down if there’s something more solid to flush. That’ll instruct the toilet to use the proper amount of water for the job, which is a great, valuable method of conservation. I’ve seen systems like this outside the country, and always wished they were more common here. But there’s one fault with this particular toilet: Even though instructions are posted nearby, few people will use it correctly.

It’s a common problem when a routine function is retooled to be environmentally friendly: By trying to closely emulate the appearance of the old system (in this case, the old toilet), the design fails to break people of their routines. Just think of the last time you saw a designated recycling bin on a street corner or in a pizza shop. It’s usually right next to a trash bin, but people are throwing garbage and recyclables in both. It’s not because they don’t care; it’s because they’re not paying attention, and the recycling bin isn’t different enough for them to take notice. People don’t think when they’re doing routine things like flushing toilets or throwing away garbage. It’s too common. They do this stuff every day.

What these initiatives need is a fresh design, which is simple to understand but different enough to make people notice. Here’s a fine example:

That’s a toilet in Melbourne, Australia, in a hotel I stayed in. After I used the toilet, it was clear that these buttons were the key to flushing -- and because there was no handle to instinctively flick down, I had to consider what these buttons were for. It was soon obvious -- they’re either half-flush or whole flush, depending on how much flushing is needed -- and I made my choice.

Simply changing the color of a familiar toilet handle won’t stop people from unthinkingly pushing it down. And for that matter, it makes even less sense to repurpose this handle, because it was already designed for a specific purpose: It's to be pushed down by foot, so that users don't have to expose themselves to germs by touching it with their hands. Asking them to pull up is not only counterintuitive, but counterproductive: After touching the handle, they’ll probably use more water at the sink washing their hands. It’s great the school is thinking about water conservation, but a simple redesign could have made it so much more effective.

Posted by Jason Feifer at July 9, 2007 12:02 AM