Bad Designs - Bad news for left handers

Turn page

Bad news for left handers

picture of cruise ship passenger on the pot (with clothes on)

Here is a bad design example submitted by an acquaintance who describes the bad design nicely in the following note:

Mike

I know you are interested in bad designs. We saw one on our recent trip to the Baja Peninsula. We boarded the "Spirit of Endeavor" cruise ship and found in our cabin this toilet with the paper underneath the cabinet. That was bad news for left handers.

I tried to sketch it for you, then R. said why don't you take a picture of it. I did -- with her on the pot (with clothes on).

We really had a hard time using the paper as it was, so we just put a roll on top of the cabinet. We hope you can add this to your collection.

L.V.

To re-cap, the problem is trying to reach the toilet paper under the cabinet (see arrow), especially with the left hand. This is an example of an object that is especially poorly designed for left handers, although it doesn't seem to be designed very well for right handers either! It should be re-designed to better accommodate both left and right handed use.

Segments of the population with different needs are often overlooked when designing things. Left handers are a significant segment of the population. Estimates range from 5% to 30%. There are also other significant segments, for example the young or elderly, who may have additional requirements for the design of an object.

Design suggestion

One might consider mounting a recessed toilet paper roll dispenser with a hood in the face of the cabinet as pictured on the left. This would make the paper more accessible while keeping it dry and somewhat out of the way. The dispenser would have to be recessed enough so that people would not accidentally bump into it .

Table of contents

Home page

Turn page