The human-designed world is often not well designed. One of the canonical examples of using design well is the newspaper stand at an airport or train station. In many of them it is surprisingly difficult to actually process your transaction. If you have a briefcase or suitcase with you, the things you want to buy in another, a newspaper or umbrella being held under an arm, how can you actually pay? Put your things away, hand the cashier the goods, wait for them to ring it up, give them money, wait for change, try and put the change away while holding all the other things, take your items and put them somewhere, and finally move off. A smart person put a large counter at one of these stands with plenty of room to put all your items, room underneath to hold suitcase or briefcase, and long enough that you could move out of the away while gathering your belongings, thus freeing up the space and time for the next customer. This simple change sent sales through the roof.
Why do I bring this up? Years ago at work I suggested to management that we put shelves up in the bathrooms. (To the co-workers who read this, yep, that was me. If only we’d had the Innovation Garage then I’d be the 2003 grand prize winner.) If you came in with any papers or electronics there was nowhere to put them. You hoped that the area around the sink was dry or you had to hold your business stuff while doing your business. They put up shelves in all the bathrooms. I was a very pleased customer. Now you throw your items on the shelf, do the deed, and pick up your things on the way out.
The other day I came into the bathroom and found this:
Flowers are nice. The bathroom is understandably drab and putting in a bit of foliage made it that much nicer. But, it interfered with the whole point of the shelf! Now if my things are too big there isn’t enough room. Even if they are small enough I have to spend precious time maneuvering them around to make sure they are balanced and don’t knock over the flower. I know it doesn’t matter that much in the long run and that’s it’s only a few seconds but I still incredibly annoyed. A beautiful solution to a problem and then someone just goes and throws up another impediment. C’mon people!
Postscript: The people did indeed come on. I moved the flower to the sink area. A week or two later it was gone.
Postscript: I drafted this post a long time ago. There’s another one there this week.
Muttrox,
Thanks for orienting me! I’ve spent many quality hours (cumulatively) there indeed.
So here’s why I think this is so darn weird….what cleaning person do you know spends one iota of brain power on ‘beautification’? they might place flowers once directed to do so, but I can’t imagine any of them thinking “hm – this place just needs a few mums – let me make that happen!”
Similarly – I can’t imagine ‘management’ coming up with this idea unless one of the two scenarios I described before occurred – either one of which I find weird and creepy.
I might have to back to scenario C and mentally involve non-humans and/or mystical forces to feel better about this.
Geaster, this is indeed a men’s room: One that you have frequented in your life many many times.
I suspect they weren’t put there by employees. I think management made the call. Or the cleaning service did.
This boggles my mind…..I assume this is a “Men’s” room you are describing and not some unisex bathroom. If my assumption is correct – then one of two very bizarre scenarios has occured (more than once from your description). Either A) one of your male co-workers decided the place needed a floral spruce up and requested or actually procured the little vase o’ flowers (very weird), or B) a female employee or contractor went into the MEN’s room and decided to exercise her feminine right of making the world prettier (really, really weird). I suppose there’s a scenario C involving flower-fairies or magic but I know you don’t go in for those sorts of theories…..
Now THIS is why I read Muttroxia! Sure, I like the political debates, I like the random links, and I like keeping up with general goings-on in life with Muttrox — although there could be a little less poker chat 😉 But what really stand out are entries like this — some little thing that gets Muttrox all worked up, which he’s given a lot of thought, and manages to get him annoyed. Very entertaining. Great picture — I can just see your face when you entered the bathroom to see the little vase.