Beyond the binary
Designing the ideal all-gender restroom
If one thing is clear, it’s that the classic man/woman restroom symbol isn’t cutting it anymore. Wayfinding clients were asking about the future of inclusive restrooms, so our team extensively researched, designed, and tested to find an answer.
-
The restrooms in the Mijksenaar Amsterdam office were changed to all-gender restrooms to understand how it might impact our colleagues, clients, and guests.
-
Pride week in Amsterdam was a great opportunity to collect some initial user input on various all-gender pictograms.
-
We conducted surveys and interviews to get to know the transgender and non-binary community.
-
189 people were asked four questions about their experience of, and attitudes toward all-gender restrooms.
-
A preference and usability test of different pictograms was conducted at Schiphol Airport.
We found that wayfinding and symbols should focus on function.
The best symbol? A simple toilet.
Architecturally, making restrooms more inclusive makes restrooms better for everyone.
Our body of evidence, guidelines, and resources are helping establishments make informed decisions about implementing all-gender restrooms.
Get our complete all-gender restroom whitepaper and design toolkit.
In collaboration with Anna de Jonge, Carla Ramírez Sosa, Roos Gortworst, and Nicole Kwan Leighton at Mijksenaar.
