Potty Talk

This summer while I was interning in Japan, I fell in love.............. with their toilets. In my opinion, Japan should receive a standing ovation for their effort in redesigning the toilet and making it more pleasant for people.

Advertisement for Japanese toilet

Restrooms in Japan have floor-to-ceiling bathroom stalls that when open, prompt the toilet seat to open and light elevator music to start. Once seated, you are welcomed by a heated toilet seat and light water sounds begin to play. The Japanese toilet also usually includes bidet features (complete with butt dryer) and a spray that sanitizes the seat once you flush. The sinks are fully integrated with automatic water faucets, soap dispensers, and hand dryers placed directly in the sink.  You come out of the restroom feeling clean and refreshed (as well as in awe of Japanese brilliance).

To learn more about these great innovations, check out this YouTube video:

As Americans, we have grown accustom to are sub-standard toilets and public restrooms. Our basic toilets typically only offer basic flushing and our restrooms lack ambiance and comfort. In a Freakonomics Radio podcast episode entitled "Time to Take Back the Toilet", the topic of our restrooms was discussed. From the cracks between the stalls to the lack of background music to the unsystematic layout, the podcast concluded that American restroom are behind times and require some serious design thinking.

Stereotypical American Restroom

The podcast left me wondering why restrooms and toilets have stayed the same while everything around us is continually improving and getting more technologically advanced?

This made me realize the potential of design thinking to change mundane yet important aspects of our lives. Creative thinking and innovation apply to something as basic as the toilet can revolutionize our everyday living.

That said, we do not always have to reinvent the wheel each time. As discussed throughout this whole blog, we have the opportunity to learn from the different ways people do things around the world. Changing up our location for a bit has the potential to shift our perspectives on things and could inspire new ideas for products or solutions within our home countries. Take for example, Ikea and how it was able to spread Swedish furniture design around the world.

Using inspiration from other countries help improve our creative and design

I can only hope that as more and more people experience the wonders of Japanese toilets, the USA will realize what they are missing out on and we will be seeing a bit more innovation in our outdated restrooms.

Also, coincidentally....

What Do You Think: What are some other areas in our everyday lives that could use some innovation and design thinking?