There are a lot of great cultural indicators and collaborative spaces in the Adaptive Path office. But my favorite is still the bathrooms. Bathrooms as culture? As collaborations? Um…huh?

The bathrooms at AP are humane, interesting, fun and attractive spaces. As a result, they’ve become places that showcase what we value: human-centeredness, design-awareness, accessibility, smarts, participation and play.

I believe that bathrooms are a key indicator of a team culture. Office bathrooms are spaces that are often ignored, where effort is minimized, where meeting the bare basics is deemed to be enough. What a loss. I think great team cultures create great bathrooms…and I suspect that the reverse is also true.

Want a great team? Start with exceeding expectations in the most surprising of places: invest in a great bathroom.

With apologies to Maslow, I’ve outlined a hierarchy of bathroom needs from the bare basics up to a fully-actualized office bathroom cultural experience.

The Basics

• toilet & toilet paper
• sink
• paper towels/ air dryer
• trash can
• clean, dry floor
• door
• ADA accessible

Basics +

• a good lock on the door
• mirror
• non-controlled toilet paper dispenser (you know…the kind that give you more than one square at a time…)
• toilet seat covers
• extra basic supplies (paper towels, toilet paper)

Quality space

• 2-ply toilet paper
• accessible storage for extra supplies
• coat rack/ purse hooks
• air-circulating fan
• completely clean and tidy

Quality experience

• supplies area with additional amenities: extra toilet paper & paper towels, first aid kit, pain-killers, air-purifying spray, feminine supplies, etc.
• someplace to sit other than the toilet
• full-length mirror
• color: walls painted non-institutional / non-boring colors
• residential-grade fixtures and finishes
• exterior window

Cultural experience

• plants
• art, especially art created by employees
• unique fixtures / furnishings
• toys / activities
• collaborative / participative work

Probably no office bathroom has all of these, and I’m sure there are some items missing from the list. The ones that are really special and reflect the unique aspects of the culture do it by focusing on the top of the pyramid.

The point is that bathrooms signal what’s important to the team culture:

• Does the bathroom feel more personal than institutional?
• Do you care about keeping the bathroom clean because you care about the other people that use it?
• Can you get a good look at yourself in a good mirror before that big meeting so that you don’t embarrass your team with spinach in your teeth?
• Do you enjoy seeing artworks created by your team members?
• And the big one…are you trusted not to misuse the supply of toilet paper?

As you move your bathroom design to the higher levels, the more humane, culturally reflective and engaging the space becomes. And that’s got to impact how people feel about working and being together as a team.

In our office, the stuff that get positive notice from visitors, clients and team members are always things at the top of the pyramid:

• the Eames House of Cards deck, and the custom set of staff face cards made to match
• strange art that happens from things lying around, like toys and tchotchkes
• paint colors and art on the walls
• Sticky-note collages that invitate people to post thoughts, opinions or other info
• commentary on team members, taking form as participatory art
• collaborative work that uses bathroom walls

So grab a plant, some art, some toys or some sticky notes and put ‘em n your office bathroom. See how the team responds. And let me know how it goes!

I recently moved, and now I have a new bathroom. It’s completely new…new construction, new fixtures, and as a result…new habits. I have to say, the master bath has “wow” factor. I also have to say that it’s very clear that it was designed with a total disregard of efficiency and usability. And yet, I love it. How can that be?

The space design clearly shows who the architect thought the new homeowner would be: working couples (without kids) who want a place to relax and unwind within an atmosphere of modern, clean design and a green sensibility. It’s like the bathroom is whispering…”come in and experience bliss, comfort, delight and relaxation…I’m your personal spa.”

Stuff that makes my bathroom feel like an oasis:

• no door…open floor plan
• strong aesthetic impact
• clean lines
• huge mirror
• sleek sinks
• open, clear glass shower
• big soaking tub
• separate toilet room

My new bathroom experience is no longer about simple hygienic utility and having a place to put my stuff. Now it’s about pampering myself and unwinding after a stressful day. Definitely a behavioral change!

Emotional result? I truly enjoy being in the space…I feel relaxed, I work to keep the space clean and pretty, I unwind with a soak in the tub, and I feel pride, delight, pleasure…I’m calmed. Overall experience? Thumbs up.

So what’s the punch line?
The lack of attention to all the mechanics. The space is clearly not designed for efficiency, effective storage or overall utility.

Stuff that makes my bathroom totally inefficient:

• no door…open floor plan
• no medicine cabinet
• no storage
• insufficient towel racks
• bath body sprayer gurgle-leaks when you turn it off
• sinks splash
• sinks don’t hold water when drain is in
• glass on shower looks scudgy quickly

The usability aspect is like a high-pitched whine that requires attention. Some things I’ve done to address the issues? Some new furniture and lots of daily behavior change:

• get rid of all the bathroom stuff that isn’t absolutely needed…space is just too limited
• under-the-sink furniture to hold stuff that I have to have nearby…all the overflow stuff goes down the hall in the clothes closet
• A daily squeegee + Method glass spray to keep the endless stretch of shower glass sparkly
• ugly plastic drain covers to use when need to fill the sink (hidden under the counter when not in use)
• new hand habit to turn on sink faucet slllooooooowwwwllly to avoid ultra-splashing
• after-bath technique: drape the body sprayer over the edge of the tub until it stops gurgling & spitting
• On the list: install additional towel rack that jives with the overall design aesthetic

Emotional result? I have a constant mental to-do list for how to overcome the irritations…there’s head-shaking, grumbling, frustration at the designers. I have to go out of my way to do things that should be easy to do (who wants to change their faucet-turning-on-habit?) Overall usability? Thumbs down.

Now, of course, this shouldn’t be a tradeoff at all. It’s possible and preferable to design for emotion, beauty and experience without ignoring the basics of how things should work well. And designers have the responsibility to do both.

But y’know? When I think of my bathroom, I smile. I know that I’ll solve the issues that annoy me (towel rack, anyone?) but if I also know that if I had just started with a “usable bathroom”, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to make it feel like a place of comfort and respite. Usability isn’t enough…experience is the goal. The design has shifted my expectations and changed my behaviors to focus on relaxation rather than simply efficient hygiene.

Feeling relaxed has a lot more value me than simply being clean. I have a place designed to be a sanctuary to self, and I love it.

• Kate Rutter-Adaptive Path
• Laurence Helene Borel-Blog Till You Drop
• Iris Shreve Garrott-checking out and checking in
• Susan Abbott-Customer Experience Crossroads
• Maria Palma-Customers Are Always
• Becky Carroll-Customers Rock!
• Toby Bloomberg-Diva Marketing
• Stephanie Weaver-Experienceology
• Linda Tischler-Fast Company Now
• C.B. Whittemore-Flooring the Consumer
• Katie Konrath-Get Fresh Minds
• Ed Pell-K+B DeltaVee
• Helene Blowers-Library Bytes
• Claudia Schiepers-Life and its little pleasures
• Katie Clark-Practical Katie
• Sandra Renshaw-Purple Wren
• Reshma Anand-Qualitative Research
• Marianna Hayes-Results Revolution
• Carolyn Townes-Spirit Women
• Sara Cantor-The Curious Shopper
• Anna Farmery-The Engaging Brand
• Dee McCrorey-The Ultimate Corporate Entrepreneur
• Katia S. Adams-Transcultural

Because bathrooms express cultural and design values loud and clear. Nobody wants a bad bathroom experience (insert shudder here.)

When bathroom design doesn’t support user needs it’s profoundly obvious, and the physical space shows it: trails of water from the sink to the towel dispenser, tiny shreddings of paper on the floor due to a too-aggressive toilet paper dispenser + tissue-thin paper…we’ve all been there.

So this week, I’ll be blogging my thoughts on the women’s bathroom experience, starting with the most private: the home bathroom, and ending with the most public: San Francisco’s public pay restrooms.

Each realm has specifics that are interesting…Here’s my plan of attack:

• The home bathroom as it reflects the private culture of behavior, lifestyle and identity.
• Team spaces (offices, schools) that express the corporate cultures and the values that govern the expectations of people being together for some shared purpose.
• Public-access spaces (retail, restaurant, recreational) that evidence the brand culture, and the expectations companies have of their customer base. More importantly, the experiences customers have and how they impact their brand perception.
• Super-public spaces that demonstrate the wider cultural behaviors…how people go about their business in the country or region, and the controls and affordances designed to balance utility, maintenance and effectiveness.

I’ve got a target list of visits to make, observations to collect and thoughts to share. Stay tuned for more!

Participants in Bathroom Blogfest ‘07

• Kate Rutter-Adaptive Path
• Laurence Helene Borel-Blog Till You Drop
• Iris Shreve Garrott-checking out and checking in
• Susan Abbott-Customer Experience Crossroads
• Maria Palma-Customers Are Always
• Becky Carroll-Customers Rock!
• Toby Bloomberg-Diva Marketing
• Stephanie Weaver-Experienceology
• Linda Tischler-Fast Company Now
• C.B. Whittemore-Flooring the Consumer
• Katie Konrath-Get Fresh Minds
• Ed Pell-K+B DeltaVee
• Helene Blowers-Library Bytes
• Claudia Schiepers-Life and its little pleasures
• Katie Clark-Practical Katie
• Sandra Renshaw-Purple Wren
• Reshma Anand-Qualitative Research
• Marianna Hayes-Results Revolution
• Carolyn Townes-Spirit Women
• Sara Cantor-The Curious Shopper
• Anna Farmery-The Engaging Brand
• Dee McCrorey-The Ultimate Corporate Entrepreneur
• Katia S. Adams-Transcultural