Case study: Fixing the hindrance
By using the Design thinking approach to address, analyze and solve underlying issues for users while interacting with the bathroom.
Introduction
This article will tell you in detail how I have gone through the entire process of design thinking to solve the user's problem. I recently got enrolled in a UX Design Bootcamp conducted by Anudeep Ayyagari, a UX Designer at Amazon. It was one of the boldest decisions that I ever took. When I kickstarted my UX journey, I was nervous, excited, thrilled, and what-not? :D
Overview📁
In the first week of our Bootcamp, we started with the Design Thinking Project. We were divided into groups of ten and each member was assigned one room of a house — in my case, it is a Bathroom. The rest of the members were supposed to be considered users for this project. The objective of this project was to interact with the users, understand their pain points and come up with the solution by following the design thinking process.
“Ok folks! Without wasting the time: Let’s jump right into them!”
1. Empathize
“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another.” — Alfred Adler
Empathize is the first phase of the Design Thinking Process. Okay, wait, but first, what is Empathy? Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine ourselves in their place. Essentially, it is all about understanding the user’s perspective.
To begin with, I had to prepare a set of questions to understand their challenges: What are their needs, and their expectations. It was challenging for me to frame the questions since it has to be an open-ended questions.
Here are my interview questions. I proceeded to ask them more questions as per my user’s responses, making it flexible to the scenario.
1. Tell me about the restroom that you use every day? Is it comfortable for you to use? Are they spacious enough?
2. Are you sharing your bathroom with others? Your thoughts on the attached bathroom and the separate ones?
3. During winter, how are you managing to take a shower? Are you using a geyser or an immersion rod to warm the water?
4. What are the things that are must-needed in a restroom from your perspective?
5. Do you have enough space to keep your towel and dresses? What kind of hanger do you use?
6 . Do you use any bathroom fragrance products? Tell me about your ventilation in your bathroom? Do you prefer ventilated windows or vent fans?
7. Do you often feel that water is being wasted too much in your bathroom? Discussion on flushing system, water taps, and tiles.
8. Do you like to hear songs while taking shower? Do you like to take a long shower in warm or cold water?
After framing the questions, I went ahead and conducted a 1:1 interview with 5 users over a virtual setup. I was pretty much excited since it was the first time that I conducted user interviews. After each interview with my users, my interaction with them and my questions started to become better.
Here are some of the key insights from the users💡
Hurray! My Dopamine started to kick in as I finished my first task of the project. This stage helped me to get some insights into their bathroom experiences and ways of interacting with their bathroom areas. The main goal of this stage was to get to know the people you’re designing for so that you understand their needs better.
2. Define
Define Stage enables you to derive inferences from the User interviews and understand the key problems faced by them.
This is the stage where I have to define the problem statement based on the user’s insights. I went through all the information gathered after interviewing my users, their ideal experience, likes, and dislikes, and based on that below are the few vital problem statements which are as follows,
Water is wasted while flushing: Most users feel that a large amount of water is being wasted while flushing the toilet. Flushing is the biggest water hog in the house.
Snag in the space: The users find difficulty in the space between the shower area and commode as they are closer to each other.
Problems in the Water faucet: The users facing issues with the taps because of hard water stains and everlasting perpetual maintenance issues.
Temperature issues: Users have a problem in mixing the warm and cold water to touch and test.
Ventilation issues: The users prefer well-vented windows in need of natural light and ventilation.
There were several problems and pain points collected from the interviews but we cannot solve every problem faced by each user. These are some of the common problems.
3. Ideate
Ideation is the process where we explore ideas and different solutions for the user’s problems.
After keeping the problem statements in front of me. I used a ‘Crazy 8’ technique to generate the solutions. In Crazy 8, for each problem found in the Define stage, you need to come up with 8 ideas in 8 minutes! It may sound easy, but trust me, it is not!
After making a list of solutions to each problem which I defined in the previous stage below are my top 3 ideas which I found to be effective for the users.
- Using Low flow-Dual Flush toilet: By using this, we can stop the significant amount of fresh water from being wasted while using a normal flushing system. It also gives flexibility to the user to use the amount of water required for flushing.
- Using Hemp curtain: Users need a separator between the shower area and commode. A hemp curtain will be the simple, safe and best option compared to a glass or wall separator.
- Auto-temperature Sensor in Faucet: Users having a problem mixing the warm and cold water. This will mix and give the water at the right temperature based on the room temperature.
Tip: Just try to think of some ideas for the problems, no matter whether it is crazy or average.
4. Prototype
Prototype Stage involves representation of your idea using the resources around you, based on the solutions you ideated.
How I did it?
From the ideas which I defined in the previous stage, I selected the two most important ideas based on the priority and commonly occurred for the users whom I interviewed and decided to prototype those ideas. And I made sure that it should be effective and useful for the users.
Prototype 1: Low flow-Dual flush
Problem: Most users feel that a large amount of water is being wasted while flushing the toilet. Flushing is the biggest water hog in the house.
Why the solution is important to the user?
By using this model, we can stop a significant amount of fresh water from being wasted. It’s estimated that an average home with this model flushes 35–40% less water per day than someone who uses the normal flushing system. This will help reduce the amount of water being used, resulting in greater savings on our utility bills and it’s great for the environment.
A low-dual flush toilet uses significantly less water than a normal flushing system. They achieve lower water consumption rates by employing two push-type buttons. It also gives flexibility to the user to use the amount of water required for flushing. For liquid waste, the smaller button is used and flushes around 1 gallon of water. For solid waste, the larger button is used and flushes around 1.6 to 1.8 gallons of water.
Water fills the Inner chamber and is held there under pressure with more air. When the flush valve opens, pressure and gravity will combine for a powerful flush to clear the wastes. It also uses a larger 10 cm trap way in the bowl, allowing for water to come out faster and clear the bowl efficiently.
Prototype 2: Using Hemp curtain
Problem: The users find difficulty in the space between the shower area and commode as people think they are closer to each other.
Why the solution is important to the user?
A curtain will be the simple and best option compared to a glass or wall separator. Shower curtains can be strategically draped to create the illusion of a large space. This is also beneficial in small bathrooms as it enhances the existing space, making it more comfortable for the users. Curtains can also be tied to one or both sides when not in use, taking up less physical space than a solid screen.
I came to know about hemp curtain which is a non-toxic shower curtain. It doesn’t need a vinyl liner and it is the only fabric shower curtain that does not require it. When a shower curtain is made from hemp canvas, the fabric is tightly woven so water will not leak through.
- Hemp is naturally resistant to bacteria and fungus.
- It dries very quickly.
- It is free of plastic, toxins, chemicals outgassing, and also biodegradable when disposed of.
- It is also machine washable.
Plastic shower curtains are widely used by people, but they are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material. However, PVC is a very toxic, dangerous material. Due to its toxicity, it will lead to negative health effects over the years such as central nervous system damage, dizziness, vomiting, etc. Say ‘No’ to Plastic curtains.
5. Testing
This is the final stage of the design thinking process. This is where we have to present our prototype to the users, guide them through the entire process and receive feedback and suggestions from them.
How I did it?
- We arranged the feedback session over a virtual setup.
- I presented my prototype to the users and received feedback.
- Asked them to rate my solution on a scale of 1–5.
Users’ feedbacks and ratings:
Positive feedbacks: The users really liked the prototype as it solves their problems. They responded that the Hemp curtain will definitely be useful and safe to use and also this flushing type will have a great impact on saving water.
Suggestions and Constructive feedbacks: A user suggested using recycled water for flushing and 360-degree airflow to clean the wastes. Maintenance problems were occurring usually while using.
After getting the feedbacks, I researched the solution using recycled water for flushing and 360-degree airflow to clean the wastes. I proposed the solution again to the user who suggested it. The user understood the solution and discarded it as it seems costly to build that system for the house.
Major takeaways from this project🔥
Initially, it was frightening yet it gives an uplifting experience since this is the first design-thinking project I have ever worked on and the first case study I drafted.
1. Design Thinking approach helps to empathize with the users and find the right solution for them. It is not difficult, it’s just using common sense to solve problems.
2. From taking interviews with the users to getting feedback from them provided a lot of learnings.
3. Providing a solution that satisfies the user is the ideal direction to follow. Even a simple, straightforward solution can solve the user’s problem.
Now, I know that “design thinking” is not a perplexing process, it is all about understanding the needs of users from their perspective. This project made me realize the importance of user experience not just in digital products but in our daily lives as well!💪
Hey, you stayed with me till the end of this article might as well tap the clap button below! Gracias! :D
