Gender and Design Project: Redesigning Bathrooms
Why Bathrooms?
Bathrooms often come as an after thought to people when it comes to using them but to some they are a nightmare. On average women are more likely to be disabled. Additionally, 75% of caregiving is done by women. Women are often also more likely to have a child with them then men that accompany them to the bathroom due to being the main caregivers in their families. Also isn’t it annoying to carry in a backpack and hit every wall, corner , and get stuck on a latch. Bathrooms lets face it, are a hassle. So why cram yourself into a small stall with all of your stuff, let us make going to the bathroom better.
Research
Test one: General Survey
For the first round of User Research, I hung up flyers around campus asking people to fill out a form I had made asking questions about people’s experience in the bathrooms here at Miami University. I recieved 30 responses from the general student population.
Gender Distribution
Survey Results
Question 1: What do you find the worst about communal bathrooms?
most common answers:
“Lack of cleanliness”
“Lack of privacy”
“ Not that many gender-neutral bathrooms”
“No free tampons or Pads”
Question 2: What do you find uncomfortable about bathrooms?
“Gaps in the doors”
“Lack of space”
Question 3: Have you ever been harassed in a bathroom? If you feel comfortable sharing, what happened?
“Not personally, but I have heard of my friends getting harrassed due to their gender identity”
Question 4: Have you ever felt uncomfortable in a bathroom? If you feel comfortable sharing, why was that?
“People barging in, like Cleaning Staff or random others who come in the bathroom yelling”
“feeling awkward using the urinals”
Question 5: What makes a good bathroom?
Secluded
Clean
Large Doors
Touchless
Free Period Products
Question 6: On a Scale of 1 - 10, how would you rate the general cleanliness of bathrooms on Miami’s campus?
Question 7: How long do you wait for the bathroom on average?
Average: 5 minutes for women, 0 minutes for men, and 10 minutes for Non-binary, specifically gender-neutral bathrooms.
Secondary Research
Article 1: The Toilet Debate: Stalling Trans Possibilities and Defending 'Women's Protected Spaces'
This article talked about how often people do not realize that toilets can be somewhat of a safe haven for those with differing gender identities, but now they are more often than not a place for criticism and judgment based on gender identity. It talks about how women were the afterthought for public toilets, the reason bathrooms were often not built in town was to keep women at home. Additionally, Trans-women more often than not are at the head of the debate when it comes to bathroom use and gender identity after North Carolina passed a bill banning people from using a bathroom that is not matching the sex on their Birth Certificate. The main problem that is being talked about though is that Trans-exclusionary Radical Feminists are trying to bar Trans people from using bathrooms that go with their gender identity.
What I learned from it:
It really made me want to go towards a more gender-neutral approach when it comes to public toilets. These toilets should be accessible for all types of people no matter their gender identity and also make sure to give privacy to those who need it.
Article 2: Large Bathrooms with ADA Compliance
Men’s Bathroom with Double Open Vestibule
Women’s Large Restroom with Single Door Entry
Women’s Large Bathroom with Open Vestibule
What I learned:
Here I noticed that Men’s bathrooms displayed here have an extra 10 ft of space, this could be inaccurate but this is two women’s bathrooms compared to one man’s. Men’s bathrooms look to be more accessible to people who have disabilities as well as having more space in general. Men also have 8 bathroom stalls along with around 3 to 4 urinals per bathroom one being accessible for those who are disabled as well. That is probably why men spend a lot less time in the bathroom than women, it is easier to go when there are more spaces for you to go into.
Final User Walkthrough Commentary
“Where can I dry my hands there are no hand dryers or hand towels”
“I feel as though there should be more help bars in bathrooms because some people need help but not necessarily the space”
“I really like the way that there is a step for people who are shorter but possibly making it a step stool?”
“Is there anyway to make a shorter sink for shorter people if you are gonna accomodate them in the bathroom”
Final Design
Measurements of Bathroom:
13 ft tall
20 ft width
35 ft length
Regular Stalls: 4ft by 7ft
ADA Stalls: 6ft by 7ft
Amenities:
Doors go all the way to the floor
Doors also have locks on them that indicate whether or not someone is using the restroom
Hand dryers, Baby Changing tables, and tampon and pad dispensers all sit around 3’10” off of the floor
Tampon and Pad dispenser would be free and easy to use with a click of a button.
Step stools for bathrooms so people who are shorter can get up onto the toilet by themselves.
Video Walkthrough of My Bathroom Design
Things I Wish I Could Have Done
I really wish that I could have implemented this project into Miami University bathrooms but sadly I could not get access to the websites that I needed to in order to implement these bathroom parameters for Miami and potentially other areas like airports and colleges as well. The reason I wanted to do this project was so that everyone has a safe and comfortable place to go to the bathroom. Even in public, everyone should be able to shit in peace and not be afraid to use the bathroom of their choice.
Sources:
Jones, Charlotte, and Jen Slater. “The Toilet Debate: Stalling Trans Possibilities and Defending ‘Women’s Protected Spaces.’” The Sociological Review, vol. 68, no. 4, 2020, pp. 834–851., https://doi.org/10.1177/0038026120934697.
“Large Public Restrooms: Ada Guidelines.” Harbor City Supply, https://www.harborcitysupply.com/blog/large-public-restrooms-ada-guidelines/.