The Pee Fly Solution
Two truisms:
- The most effective solution to a problem must acknowledge human behavior
- The simplest solution is usually the best solution
In a practice that began over 20 years ago, urinals around the world are starting to be engraved with one small black fly each. Why? Because it’s a known fact that men like to aim when they urinate, so all you have to do is give them something to aim at and you have a great chance of reducing spillage. In fact, Schiphol Airport reports an 80% reduction in errant urine since the fly urinals made their debut.
Sure, someone like an enterprising James Dyson could have redesigned the urinal as a baroque suction / capture device that ensured a significant reduction in overspray. But the plain and inescapable truth is that men like peeing on things, and the best way to get them to stop missing their mark is to give them a target.
In other words, the inventor of the fly urinal — Dutch maintenance man Jos Van Bedoff — didn’t try to change human behavior; instead, he happily adapted to it and found an elegant, simple, low-cost solution to the problem.
And that, ladies and gents, is great design.
Related links:
- “There’s a Fly in My Urinal” on NPR.org
- urinalfly.com
