 |
The
first earthenware toilet was designed by Thomas Crapper (... when they really
gave designers credit for their work!) When we interviewed people throughout
the project, the subject of toilets often elicited jokes, a common diversionary
technique people use when uncomfortable. The psychological walls put up
around the subject help to explain why toilets have not changed. Change
requires that people examine something in a new light, and the truth is
that people feel ill-at-ease examining toilets on whatever level. Using
euphemisms is another form of diversion. When we asked interviewees, "How
could we make a toilet look better?", the response we often received
was: "Make it disappear." How do you make something so essential
invisible? Perhaps one way is to focus not on what people are saying, but
on why they are saying it. If people say, "make a toilet so I don't
have to touch it", we make it so they touch it less or can better see
exactly what they are touching. |
 |
 |
|
