The washroom experience

Two things are becoming more and more common and more and more problematic with bathroom UX, and those are automatic flushers and poorly placed dryers or towels. Whoo! Nice number of ands in that sentence.

Every automatic flusher flushes no fewer than three times when I use them. Something about my magical placement or movement or my butt triggers a FLUSH FLUSH FLUSH reaction with the things, sometimes taking personal effects down the drain with the water. My dislike of auto-flushing toilets is likely going to become legendary, a one person campaign to restore personal responsibility by nondestructively disabling automatic flush sensors and teaching people how to PUSH THE LITTLE BUTTON for a flush.

And then there are the paper towel dispensers that require you to lift your arms above your head to retrieve a paper towel. Or the hand dryer that requires you to lift your arms up to use, THEREBY CAUSING ALL THE WATER ON YOUR HANDS TO ROLL INTO YOUR SLEEVES as you lift your arms. Come on, install them lower. Not that hard.

For a room that just about everyone uses every day, the experience could be so much more pleasant. The design could blend into functionality in an unnoticeable way, so as to be perfect.

Today is not the day for that design, says the accidental triple flusher with the wet sleeves.