

Images of flies on a urinal = 80% less 'spillage' on the airport bathroom floor - tlrobinson
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/business/08nudge.html

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moe
A fly? How boring, over here we have these: [http://ecx.images-
amazon.com/images/I/31EZO1H5iFL._SL500_AA2...](http://ecx.images-
amazon.com/images/I/31EZO1H5iFL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)

~~~
mynameishere
Combine that with a scorecard and "all time high scores" display and you could
pretty much retire the janitor.

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moe
Don't laugh, I have actually seen one in a club that played a crowd-cheering
sound while you were hitting it! Wouldn't be surprised if there was a
scoreboard version around somewhere...

For background: The ball actually moves when you hit it. It is attached to the
main panel with a small plastic string. The one that made the sound probably
had a simple "electronic greeting card"-like circuit board in it.

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patio11
There is a Japanese toilet company, whose name escapes me, which previously
included a red dot in toilets to capture this advantage. Then, after extensive
testing, they realized that the red dot was suboptimal because it encouraged
people to shoot for the wall, and the wall of a toilet bowl is very close to
things you do not want to get wet.

So they tested a new version, which turned out to be MUCH better: include a
laser in the toilet bowl, and PROJECT a red dot on the surface of the water at
a particular point in the bowl. (I would assume the geometric center but, hey,
they're the experts).

My Google-fu is not turning up the article I read this in, which (I hazily
remember) was English and probably in the New York Times.

Anyhow, this is one of my stock anecdotes on why Japanese engineering holds so
much appeal to me. (Obsessive, fanatical attempts to squeeze more performance
out of things. Its like Apple decided to launch a line of toilets or ceiling
fans... except with a little less of an iCult around them.)

[Edit: found a mention of this sort of toilet innovation by Panasonic but it
wasn't the article I was talking about, which covered the R&D process in more
detail.

[http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/panasonic-dl+gwn-
toilet-s...](http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/panasonic-dl+gwn-toilet-seat-
lights-your-pee+path-202519.php) ]

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pg
I wondered about those. I thought some designer was just trying to be funny.
(They give designers a lot more room in the Netherlands.)

~~~
ijntybvrt
It is also a joke, bee in latin is 'apis'

~~~
ryanwaggoner
That's some gentle comedy.

Especially since they're flies, not bees ;)

~~~
ijntybvrt
Usually they are bees, urinals have had them for a century

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gcheong
I think this technique of giving one something to aim at is well known amongst
the potty training crowd.

~~~
gravitycop
<http://www.goontarget.com>

_tired of constantly cleaning up spills around the toilet – want your boys –
big and small – to be more accurate?_

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ricree
Has anyone read the book they talk about in the article
([http://www.amazon.com/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-
Happi...](http://www.amazon.com/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-
Happiness/dp/0300122233) )? It has decent reviews and seems like it might be
interesting, but I never seem to have as much reading time as I'd like, and I
was hoping someone here could give me a heads up on if its any good.

~~~
martian
Yeah, this is a great book. Evidently it is also on Obama's reading list.

The book talks about a few different ways to "nudge" people into the "best"
behavior. One of the key points is that a default choice (for ANY consumer
choice, whether health care, options on a car, or how to invest a 401k) is far
and away the option most likely chosen. So the book's authors argue that it is
the responsibility of politicians to help people make the right "default"
choice.

One great example is a particularly nasty curve on a road -- Lake Shore Drive
-- in Chicago. It's a major thoroughfare along Lake Michigan, and cars were
always going too fast when they came up to a sharp curve in the road. After
trying all sorts of "slow down" and "sharp curve" signs, city planners opted
to paint lines on the road perpendicular to the flow of traffic. The lines
were set at regular intervals, but near the curve the lines were painted
closer together. This gave drivers the impression that they were going too
fast, and caused them to subconsciously slow down. This dramatically improved
the traffic flow on this particular stretch of Lake Shore Drive and reduced
accidents and fatalities.

I won't comment on whether or not I agree with of all this book's theories,
but it is well worth a read, and certainly shines some light on more subtle
aspects of human decision making.

~~~
endtime
_So the book's authors argue that it is the responsibility of politicians to
help people make the right "default" choice._

Jeez, can you say "slippery slope"?

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electromagnetic
Now if only this worked for those people who miss the toilet when taking a
crap.

I have a solution to the problem, however I don't think there's a fecal floor
sensor yet and I doubt people would go into a stall with a shotgun aimed at
their head so I fear it wouldn't solve the problem but shift it to the
shotgun-free stalls.

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biohacker42
Is is just me or does this "flies on a urinal" story make the rounds every 6
months or so?

Either that or I have way too much piss related content in my web surfing.

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jmatt
This is a constructive use of, "choice architecture". I think these ideas have
been around for awhile just in another form - as poor choice architecture in
casinos.

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dpifke
I'm curious how they measured and came up with 80%.

~~~
KevBurnsJr
also curious as to the scientific process for measurement of urine spillage.

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tlrobinson
(found via <http://hiphopo.posterous.com/images-of-flies-on-a-bathroom>)

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gojomo
I wonder if this design adds or detracts from aim:

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/gojomo/3267808953/>

(It may be decades before News.YC has another thread where this photo is
topical!)

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joshwa
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coand%C4%83_effect>

[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2450/urinal-101-aim...](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2450/urinal-101-aim-
for-the-back-wall-or-the-water)

<http://ask.metafilter.com/8204/Urinal-Aiming#160007>

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dreish
I think this would be considered a clever real-world hack.

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wenbert
we have these in the waterless urinals in SM City Cebu :P

