6 design thoughts from some redundant restroom signs

The physical world is filled with lessons on design that can be applied to the digital design space, and while UX is primarily used in the context of software, it manifests itself everywhere in the designed world.

That’s why I found the redundant signs in the photo above so interesting.

A stylized set of beautiful icon/illustrations show a man and woman; a standard restroom sign if it had been done more beautifully, and more consistently with the rest of the consumer experience.

Below this, an extra green tile with an International Symbol of Access has been added (the wheelchair person).

Then, apparently, it was decided that these two stylized signs were not enough and a third sign was added. It shows a much more conventional set of “restroom people”, a more standard ISA, and an unabbreviated label “Unisex Restroom”.

The overall effect is that of a design-conscious organization, working hard to standardize its image, but failing in the face of what I assume is legal regulation.

Those cool people in the top signs are forced to share the wall with their conventional older relatives.

It made me think of the following six ideas that designers will often face, and which I’ve faced during my own career.

Nice portfolio piece, but how do your users experience it?
Have you ever spent time making a design look pixel-perfect, send it off, and cringe later at its execution? It’s not enough for it to look good on Dribbble. It has to be executed well.

This extra signage ruins the designer’s effect.

Icon or illustration?
Very few ideas should be represented as unlabeled icons. The test is whether your users can understand the idea instantly on viewing the icon.

We all understand the magnifying glass, or the standard cigarette with a line through it. But when you need to start asking people if they understand your icon, you’ve probably already failed. These icons will need a label to substitute or supplement.

What if your icons are only being used for decoration, to enhance existing content? I would call those spot illustrations, and they generally have more visual details than a true and functional icon.

Restroom icons are almost universally understood, unless you stylize them in a way that makes them harder to recognize. The icons on the top signs have been changed in ways making them more illustrative.

Icon labels
Only the sign at bottom provides a label in plain English: “Unisex Restroom”. Say what you want about visual clutter, but the label makes it more clear and will add information that some visitors will find useful.

Understanding all users, not just a narrow target
Who are the potential users? The business targets young people. But grandma might visit here too, and she will want to see a recognizable clear sign through her thick glasses. Functional design needs to work for all users, not just your target spenders.

Luxury brands like to communicate exclusivity with a bit of mystery, appealing to a certain set of people. And that can work well for marketing and retail experiences. It is a poor idea for restroom signs, exit signs, and other functional elements.

ADA compliance
The top sign looks great and it does have a label in braille, but the ISA (on the green tile) appears as an afterthought. And it still isn’t enough — the third sign has been deemed necessary by someone, possibly a government entity. The lesson: consider ADA and other requirements throughout your process, or you’ll be forced to change things later.

Harmony on your design team
A parallel explanation could be that different people in the organization simply disagreed on which sign to include. For digital projects, it would be as if the developer didn’t agree with the designer and implemented their own thing. We need design systems, and the people who design need to work closely with the people who implement. Blur the line, communicate often, and pay attention after the design is sent out into the world.

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Thank you to the staff at Shake Shack in New Hyde Park, NY for tolerating my presence for a longer time than the average customer.