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Squatty Potty
an alternative look at portable restrooms
WHAT
Senior Thesis
WHERE
The Ohio State University
WHEN
2013
Senior Thesis Industrial Design Runner-up
When thinking of a portable restroom, what comes to mind? Good thoughts? Enjoyable times? Memories? Not likely. When unavoidable experiences bring unpleasant thoughts, why not find a way to use those thoughts as motivation to improve the experience? A product that is frequently used out of necessity yet poses a continual pattern of problems is a designer's dream: it provides an opportunity for meaningful change.
After interviewing and observing many users, a pattern of issues became apparent, particularly those that affected the senses upon entering the unit. Users claimed that the product itself was unattractive, the space was restrictive, the smell was very difficult to bare and the initial sight while entering was nauseating.
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Due to these discomforts, I found that most users reported that they "hover" while using the portable restroom in order to touch as few of the unit's surfaces as possible.
User Research: Key Issues
A majority of the senses are affected while entering the unit
The biggest challenge I faced in this project was understanding how the user uses a portable restroom. Firstly, using a restroom is a highly personal experience for individual users. Secondly, the smallness of current models as well as privacy issues made it difficult to observe how the typical user goes about his or her business.
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To solve these problems, I created a full-scaled portable restroom, removing a wall so that I could photograph common issues the user faces and test a few ideas I had in mind.
Focusing on position, toilet angle, and hand position.
Goals: Smell, Sight, Position
After compiling data from observations and surveys, I began designing single portable restroom units, focusing on improving the smells and sights in my product, as well as the position of the user.
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Smell
Current product lines share a common problem with all portable restrooms: the smell. Unpleasant odors arise from a repository that holds the waste. The best way to approach this problem is by providing more ventilation to the tank and the entire unit.
Every person who has used a portable restroom has experienced the sight upon entering; it is one of the first things that they notice. The best solution for this problem is to create a bowl that opens on a living hinge when pressure is applied to the floor. As the user walks in and turns around, their body pressure opens the bowl, and as they leave, the hinge closes shut. Closing the tank when it is not in use also limits the smell, allowing ventilation to the tank and a better breathing experience for the user.
Sight
The most stable/athletic position for a user encourages the alignment of the feet, knees and head. This is the also most comfortable position for squatting. My design encourages users to create this position naturally by designing the waste tank at a15-degree angle that runs parallel to the user’s behind.
Position
Creating a product that can withstand the most belligerent male while improving the experience for women.
After researching the competitor designs, I decided to keep the design close to what the user already knows. Because using portable restrooms is a ritualistic/personal process, changing the design to something with which the user is unfamiliar may cause problems because unfamiliar structures tend to make the user uncomfortable.
Tank Concepts: Bread Board Model / Living Hinge
Main Focus: My sketches explore ventilation, size, form, and placement of tanks.
The main focus was to create a function that used as few moving parts as possible. Exposed parts are not easily accessible for cleaning and are also more fragile.
I designed a function surrounding a living hinge. As the user steps onto the platform, a plastic rope is pulled, activating the living hinge in the bowl, which then opens. The lines would be hidden by a track on the interior of the tank.
Form Re-Design: Modern Architecture
When confronted with issues in the form, I began to see the portable restroom as more of a room, or a building in itself. I derived the design from research, following an Architectural direction.
The Central Saint Giles in London, England, which was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, served as inspiration for my portable restroom. I modeled my product out of the simple, angular patterns seen in in Piano's modern architecture.
Ventilation Concepts: I wanted to create as much ventilation as structurally possible
My design also improves the restroom's smell. As wind blows against the wall, it becomes caught in the vents and is pushed into the unit. At the same time, air inside the unit is able to escape, thus improving ventilation. Even the units are stacked side by side, the wind can still enter and exit the structure from the front and back of the unit(s) and through gaps in the walls on both sides, left and right. Thus, wind is captured and funneled into and out of the unit with surface area as the driving force.
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To prevent the tank from releasing unwanted odors, the back wall acts as a ventilation system to pull the unpleasant scents up and out of the unit. When the toilet bowl is closed, ventilation still occurs so that the smell does not fester in the tank.
Large handle lends to ease of opening
The Living Hinge activates when user enters the unit and proceeds to the hovering position.
With the living Hinge engaged, and the user in position, air flow is able to eliminate the smell.