Dr. Steve Soifer, program manager for the American Restroom Association, was kind enough to share his thoughts on public bathroom design with us. 

According to Soifer, privacy is the key factor when it comes to restroom use. "People want privacy, in general, for their business," he stressed the fact. And so, this is the factor to keep front-of-mind in terms of design.

Unfortunately, privacy is often a forgotten concern. "In the U.S., so many public bathrooms aren't designed for that—if you can find one!" the ARA program manager noted that there's a noticeable lack of public restrooms. Especially quality ones.

We were interested to learn about the main factors that would drive someone away from using a public restroom. "Well, of course, a shy bladder, or medical concerns like emptying a colonoscopy bag," Dr. Soifer told Bored Panda.

It's situations like these that make privacy so paramount in the first place. A poorly-designed bathroom that makes someone feel like they're being watched by others won't instill much confidence.

According to Dr. Soifer, the main issue for the American Restroom Association is SOAG—single-ccoupancy, all-gender toilets. These offer more privacy, and people tend to prefer them, especially if they have thicker doors and partitions that extend further down to the floor.

Meanwhile, larger SOAGs can help accommodate individuals with disabilities. And, of course, if these facilities are cleaned well and regularly, they'll only be more appealing to the public. 

Arch Daily notes that the best public places will be easily accessible, create a good first impression, and will make people feel comfortable.

It’s one thing to have a poorly designed interior at home—if you love it, you love it, no matter what your guests might think. It’s another thing entirely when those same bad design decisions make their way out into the public sphere. 

In public, you have to be far more acutely aware of common denominators and what most people would agree that comfortable design looks like. You can’t go about designing everything based on deeply subjective factors: you have the so-called common good to look out for.

You can’t, for instance, design public places as though you yourself were the only person using them. You have to keep in mind that people come in all shapes and sizes. So you have to be equally aware of how certain decisions, decorations, and interior quirks will affect someone who’s taller or shorter, bigger or smaller than you. 

Not only that, you have to ensure that these spaces are accessible to everyone. If everything’s extremely cramped, someone who’s using a wheelchair may have difficulty navigating the area. The more accessible these spaces are to people regardless of their physical abilities, the more universal they truly are.

Moreover, public places should also be designed with comfort and safety in mind. You want people to be able to relax, instead of constantly being on edge. That might mean investing in good lighting and security, as well as ergonomic furniture design. Not only that, you could also focus on environment-friendly, sustainable materials that are both pleasant to look at and touch.

Meanwhile, everyone would appreciate it if the environment they’re in isn’t too hot or too cold. If the public is shivering from the cold, groggy from the heat, or wondering why the place smells so bad, they’re going to have a bad time. Thinking about these kinds of details sets the best designers apart from the rest.

Well-designed interiors aren’t just about aesthetics, after all, even though creating a pleasant first impression is important. There has to be a balance between beauty and functionality. If your public library looks Instagram-worthy, for instance, then congratulations. However, if there isn’t enough space for folks to actually sit down and read, the library fails in its duty to the public.

Previously, Bored Panda spoke about good design with an urban planning expert from Sweden. “Most of the time, the elements of the built environment should be in harmony amidst each other and with the surroundings. However, sometimes, something bolder and out-of-the-box might form an engaging contrast,” she shared that built environments have to engage the public and stimulate people’s minds and senses.

“There are circumstances where the architecture should create a sense of calmness and safety, yet there are instances in which it is not bad if the architecture provokes us and makes us think, ‘Why don't I like the look of this building?’” the urban planning expert noted that when it comes to private property, there’s far more flexibility for creativity.

“Quirky architecture comes from our innate desire to demonstrate our uniqueness. However, not everyone who has the means has an average taste for aesthetics. Yet, as long as it is for the people who inhabit or use their private space, I mean why not?”

However, at the same time, the expert noted that some believe that even private property has to be fully in harmony with the public spaces surrounding it.

“But, I think that we should not cross that thin line where architecture becomes reserved for only the wealthy and for those with ‘good taste’ (whoever decides that). I’m only talking about private property here, though. When it comes to public space, there should be a consensus between the public and the professional about the design,” she told Bored Panda.

For some more public place design fails, check out our earlier piece right over here.