Archive for the 'New York City' Category

IA, Policy, and the New York City Subway

Published
by
Anders
on May 16, 2008
in New York City and Technology and Society
. 1 Comment

Olga just sent me a link to her new project UX Social, in which she’s interviewing some guy on how IA could/should be applied to government policies and the like. Oh wait, that’s me!

(watch the 2nd part at Olga’s site)

In this interview, Olga gave me an opportunity to vent a little bit about the bane of my existence, and probably that of a few million other fellow New Yorkers, the MTA. Officially, the acronym stands for the Metro Transit Authority, though I think a more accurate meaning of is Mysterious Train Activity.

Anyhoo, one of the many many many stupid things that our beloved MTA did was to install ‘Emergency Exits’ at all of the several hundred subway stations. Problem is, these exits used to be normal exits, except they were bigger and wider than subway turnstyle exits, so that people with bikes and baby carriages could use them. The thing was, though, you had to press a tiny button next to the door and then wait for a subway attendant to buzz you through. And if there was no nearby attendant booth, well then there was no large exit door, so you’d have to trek to the opposite end of the station to be able to exit with your bike or whatever.

To address this problem, the MTA came up with a brilliant, brilliant!, solution. Y’know those doors with the big horizontal bar on the insider of the door that you push to exit? Well, they replaced all the old doors and installed additional doors at unattended areas with that *huuuge* button just begging to be pushed, which allows people to exit even if there is no attendant around. Oh, one small detail, there is a very noisy alarm that goes off when you push that huge irresistible button. But what do you care, you’re long gone up the stair and out of the subway, while the people on the platform have to contend with a sharp whining sound that seems like it’s never going to stop. Well, there’s more to the story, but check out Olga’s page for the rest of it.

Thanks Olga!

Oh, and she’s got lots of other great interviews with people a lot smarter than me at UX Social.

Toilet Usability - 6 Reasons Why the New NYC Public Toilets are Doomed

Published
by
Anders
on January 11, 2008
in New York City and Usability
. 5 Comments

Deputy Mayor of New York City Dan Doctoroff (who will almost certainly never use this toilet himself) today announced, with great fanfare, new public toilets to be installed in locations throughout the city. The idea of public restrooms is all good and well, and frankly it’s pretty embarrassing that this is being announced in 2008 and not, say, 1908. But no matter, when reading the description of the new toilets, there are just so many IMO terrible design choices that were made that I have to wonder if any kind of prototyping/usability testing was completed. I just can’t imagine these toilets being a success and these are some reasons why:

1 - They look like prison toilets

The new public pay toilet in Madison Square Park (Photo: Mary Altaffer/Associated Press)

There is a very strong association between a stainless steel toilet attached to the wall with no seat and what you might find in a prison cell. In fact, when I first saw a picture of the toilet, I thought that it was a picture of exactly that. The idea of a prison toilet has a pretty negative association, as in “citizens of New York are so uncivilized and prone to destruction of property that we have to take the same approach to designing a toilet for them as we would for prison inmates.” Sad indeed.

2 - I would never sit on a public steel toilet without a seat (even if it supposedly had been cleaned)

The reason for this is not only about logic, but also that I would just find it weird. And wouldn’t the toilet also get very hot in the summertime and very cold in the wintertime? Why couldn’t they at least have a plastic top on the toilet that can’t be lifted?

3 - The door to the toilet remains open for 20 to 30 seconds after entering

Like the NYT article says, this will

possibly be the longest and most awkward 20 to 30 seconds of a person’s day. The door slips open like an elevator, but then it stays open, to accommodate those who need extra time getting in. Meanwhile, men and women in suits walk past. It is very difficult to look inconspicuous in a bathroom on a sidewalk in New York with the door open. There is just nothing to do but stand there. And the delay will not please those who are in distress.

So here I am, really needing to go. With most every other toilet I’ve ever encountered, I can close the door behind me as soon as I enter. But here I am supposed to just stand there looking stupid with people walking by? The fact that certain disabled individuals may need more time is all good and well, but they should be able to keep the door open rather than creating awkwardness and discomfort for everyone else. Truly moronic IMO.

4 - The door to the toilet opens automatically after 15 minutes

Interestingly, this second ‘feature’ is in complete contradiction to the door remaining open on entry. What if I am a disabled person who needs more time? I would be publicly humiliated. And, frankly, even if I technically would be able to finish my business in that amount of time, I just don’t like the idea of this time limit hanging over me. And this isn’t just about disabled people, what about older people who need more time? Or parents with their kids? Very very bad, IMO.

5 - The toilets are only open from 8am to 8pm

If these toilets supposedly are completely automated, why in the world can they not be available 24/7? After all, the time when I think a lot of people would want to use something like this is when everything else is closed.

6 - The toilet will use 14 gallons of water per use

This is according the NYT City Room Blog. Keeping in mind that the EPA’s recommendation of water use for a single flush is around 1.5 gallons, this is absolutely egregious. To be clear, the 14 gallons are used to hose down the toilet between each person who has used it. This kind of water waste is IMO just not environmentally ethical, and reason enough for me to avoid it.

Bicycling and infrastructure

Published
by
Anders
on September 4, 2007
in Bicycling and New York City
. 0 Comments

I grew up in Stockholm, and basically got around pretty much everywhere either by riding my bike or by public transportation. Then, when I moved to Ann Arbor, MI, to go to school, it was pretty much the same story. Ride my bike to class, to work, everywhere. And then I moved to NYC, and have since barely “set butt” on a bike. Why? After all, lots and lots of people in New York City ride bikes. Sure, and more power to them, but when I tried heading out with my bike, I discovered something I hadn’t even thought of until moving to NYC - how dependent urban bikers are on a city’s infrastructure to be able to actually get around on their bikes. I’m not talking about bike lanes, which are important as well. I’m talking about having somewhere to put your bike when you arrive at your destination. Back in Ann Arbor and in Stockholm, bike racks are everywhere. Not so in NYC, for the obvious reason that bike theft is a huge problem her. And the office I work in (like many other NYC offices) is pretty cramped so I can’t take my bike upstairs either. In other words, I end up not riding my bike very much because I should want to leave my bike somewhere, I won’t have anywhere to park it. Unless of course, I want to chance it and leave my bike out on the street, chained to some scaffolding or whatever else I can find.

But today, I read about some truly great news for bicyclists in New York. Of all the things proposed in this article, I think the most important is a new zoning law that would require buildings to provide a space in the building where people can safely park their bikes. I doubt I’m alone in wanting to ride my bike to work but not having anywhere to put it. Let’s just hope that the ideas floated by city officials to improve bicycling infrastructure in the city actually become reality…