Standing opposite the toilet entrance for an entire one-hour train journey was quite revealing. Ten passengers used the WC, and every single one was confused by the following: 💡
I ended up promising to guard the door for each of them 😁.
I had to explain the door operation to everyone who used the WC, which felt like an impromptu tutorial session.
Six passengers jokingly asked if I was getting paid to chaperone the WC (I wasn't 😅).
During a previous Irish Rail trip, I struggled with the accessible WC: the controls aren't at all intuitive. The woman who used the toilet before me had been waiting outside for ten minutes, unaware that the bathroom was unoccupied. I took pictures of the outside of the toilet that day.
Apologies for the poor image quality - train vestibules are often dimly lit, making it challenging to capture clear photos. This highlights an even greater need to improve the design for individuals using the toilets!
There are two buttons located outside to open and close the door, while inside, there are three: "open," "close," and an additional "lock" button. These are located beside the sink area, which initially threw me. I expected to see them on the other side of the toilet door once I had stepped inside.
I have severe concerns about accessibility and readability regarding using green and red buttons with black text. First, the contrast between the black text and either green or red backgrounds is often insufficient, making the text difficult to read for many people, especially in low-light conditions. Second, colour blindness, which affects a significant portion of the population, makes distinguishing between red and green a major challenge. Relying solely on these colours to convey meaning or indicate actions can exclude those who can't perceive the difference.
The buttons in the images below operate the accessible toilet doors on the train. Unfortunately, they seem even less distinguishable than the main carriage door buttons. The open button lacks contrast on its arrows, making it hard to identify, while the close button is only slightly more visible, thanks to a thin black outline.
Relying solely on these colours to convey meaning or indicate actions can exclude those who can't perceive the difference. I believe it's crucial to use more accessible colour schemes that provide high contrast and to include alternative visual cues, like icons or text labels, so everyone can understand the interface regardless of their vision abilities.
Here's an excerpt from an article by Anthony at UX Movement on the use of green and red, which reinforces my point about accessibility and readability issues.
While modern buttons to open, close, and lock the WC door look impressive, they're only effective if users can quickly identify or understand them. More precise instructions and a more obvious status indicator are crucial for a smoother user experience!
I believe it's crucial to use more accessible colour schemes that provide high contrast and to include alternative visual cues, like icons or text labels, so that everyone can understand the interface regardless of their vision abilities. It's not just about aesthetics; it's about designing to ensure inclusivity and ease of use for all.
I sketched a rough solution to enhance the user experience using accessible toilets on Irish Rail.
In my design, there are three Toilet Status Panels strategically placed to maximize visibility and accessibility:
(i) Above the Door: This panel indicates a clear status for anyone approaching the toilet.
(ii) Visible from the Train Carriage: A side panel ensures passengers can quickly check if the toilet is occupied without needing to walk over.
(iii) Support for Caregivers: Assists both passengers and their caregivers by offering extra stability.Overall, the handle enhances safety and accessibility, making the experience more secure and user-friendly for everyone.
(i) Stability for Those with Mobility Issues: Provides balance while operating the door, especially for people with limited mobility or wheelchair users.
(ii) Preventing Falls: Ensures safety when the train moves unexpectedly, reducing the risk of accidents.
(iii) Support for Caregivers: Assists both passengers and their caregivers by offering extra stability.Overall, the handle enhances safety and accessibility, making the experience more secure and user-friendly for everyone.
Clean button design in UX focuses on simplicity and usability and that is what I wanted to achieve here.
I loved the simplicity of the SOS button I discovered during my research, so for this quick exercise, I used it as a foundation for my solution and adapted it to my preferences.
(i) Simplicity: Minimalistic shapes, clear labels, and no unnecessary details.
(ii) Readability: Legible font with high contrast for easy reading.
(iii) Accessibility: Distinct colours, touch-friendly sizes, and consideration for all users,
including those with disabilities.
(iv) Usability: Easy to understand and interact with. The buttons light up when pressed.
(v) Aesthetics: Looks clean and professional.
(vi) Accessibility: Usable for a diverse range of people.
Coolors is an easy-to-use colour palette generator for creating, customising, and exploring beautiful and cohesive colour schemes. Its greatest feature is that, for accessibility testing, Coolors includes a colour contrast checker and a tool that evaluates your chosen palette against eight different types of colour vision deficiencies, ensuring it accommodates users with colour blindness.
Thank you for following along with me on my design journey! I'm keen to hear your opinions on my solution. What resonates with you, and what would benefit from further refinement? Let's start a conversation over on social media!
