insights preview: the potty project

UX Research on Sanitation in Urban India Quicksand Design Studio >> OCTOBER 2010

Insights Preview The Potty Project

Ahmedabad Bangalore Mumbai New Delhi Pune

Framework For Reporting Insights

UX Research on Sanitation in Urban India >> Quicksand Design Studio >> OCTOBER 2010

Defecation>> Use___Special users & needs___Access___Rituals___Artifacts___Schedules & Routines___Hacks___Evolution of use>> Attitudes & Perceptions___Privacy___Awareness___Reputation___Cleanliness___Risk___Convenience___Cost

Hygiene>> Habits>> Taboos & Beliefs>> Health Perceptions>> Self & community

Infrastructure>> Design>> Complimentary services>> Organizational Structures

Individuals & Households>> Living & Housing___Access to resources___Access to services___Aspirations>> Family Structures___Roles & responsibilities___Extended structures>> Consumption___Spending habits___Brands & self-image___Aspirations>> Information___Awareness ___Access

Community>> Identity___Self & community___Symbols & icons>> Influence & Control___Power structures & leadership___Collective action & ownership>> Image & Perceptions___Status___Habits

CORE CONCERNS PERIPHERAL CONCERNS

UX Research on Sanitation in Urban India Quicksand Design Studio >> OCTOBER 2010Ahmedabad Bangalore Mumbai New Delhi Pune

Mirzapur slum comprises of a majority of Muslims, while 20-30% of the community is Hindus, mostly from Gujurat. The houses are ‘Pucca’ and are connected to a sewer system. Most of the real estate is owned by the Muslims, and the Hindus live as tenants paying meagre rents (Rs. 7 pm) that were set by their ancestors and haven't been revised to date.

There is a huge strife between the 2 communal groups, as a reason of which the Muslims, all of whom have private sanitation, have curbed any infrastructural improvements because they want the Hindus (who only have access to the 3 community toilets in the area) to relocate.


Profiles >> Location ProfileAhmedabad >> Mirzapur

Mirzapur

Khodiyar Nagar is a slum comprising of 2000 households in the heart of the city, part of which was displaced by the recent development of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. Some other parts of the slum are also going to be evicted because of the upcoming Sabarmati Riverfront Project that aims at beautifying the river bank into a promenade.

The slum has a mixture of sanitation options ranging from open defecation, free community toilets, pay per use Sulabh toilet and individual toilets being evangelized by a SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association) under the Gujarat government’s Slum Networking Program.


Profiles >> Location Profile

Khodiyar Nagar

Ahmedabad >> Khodiyar Nagar

Example 1 Even though the toilet facilities are free to use for women, they contribute money once a week to pay the cleaner for cleaning all their sanitary waste

For women, menstrual waste is a bigger shame than feces

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Special Users & NeedsAhmedabad >> Mirzapur


Open defecation as an alternative to toilets has extremely low barriers of use - socially, economically and psychologically

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Attitudes & Perceptions >> Convenience


“If I don’t open it early in the morning, people will defecate right outside” CARETAKER OF TOILET FACILITY, MIRZAPUR

Older people defecate outside the toilets. They disregard the pleas of the caretaker on the pretext that: “Our forefathers use to defecate outside - why shouldn’t we. We don’t like the stuffiness inside - we’d rather do it in the open” RESIDENT, MIRZAPUR

Ahmedabad >> Mirzapur


Example 2 Mobile toilet block, Pitampura, New Delhi

Caretaker stands outside his designated place in order to collect money from users who would otherwise leave without paying

Link :http://www.vimeo.com/15528227

Example 1 Some users pay periodically at an interval of a few days instead of paying every day. On being asked by the caretaker, the response is – “We don’t have money today, We’ll pay later”. Some people use this as a pretext, while others genuinely mean it

Users are conscientious about payments but at a periodicity that suits them

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Attitudes & Perceptions >> CostAhmedabad >> Mirzapur

http://www.vimeo.com/15528227


People’s understanding of cleanliness is mostly superficial

Core Concerns >> Hygiene >> Taboos & BeliefsAhmedabad >> Mirzapur


Example 1 The sweeper does a thorough cleaning of the toilets once a week with acid and water. He uses the same brush to clean the latrine and then the walls of the toilet




People in the community see toilet facilities merely as designated defecation points

Core Concerns >> Infrastructure >> Design


Sanitation facilities serve to mark out a space that different members of the community use to defecate - either inside or outside. Example 1 Children almost invariably defecate outside a toilet facility


When users walk into a facility, there is a clear demarcation between the outside and the inside. Also the space inside is more directly under the supervision of a caretaker hence people are more conscious of maintaining it.

Design of enclosed facilities establishes the rules of use more clearly




Design of enclosed facilities establishes the rules of use more clearly


For toilets that open directly outside, the boundaries between outside and inside are not as distinct and the direct supervision of a caretaker is absent. People therefore tend to defecate right outside the door.



Example 1 The caretaker makes his son who is visiting from the village fill in for his absence. Sharing of responsibility amongst close family or friend allows for supplemental income by creating additional time for other jobs.

Sharing responsibility amongst close family helps tide over financial inadequacy

Core Concerns >> Infrastructure >> Organizational Structures



The cost to improving personal sanitation is one large step process while improvement of other lifestyle variables maybe more gradual. Noteworthy transition for households with respect to sanitation happen when they move from other options (open or public toilets) to privately owned toilets. If they could help it, an improvement in financial status would correspond to an improvement in sanitation but that’s usually not possible.

Example 1 Saraswati Ben has been using the public toilet, in one form or another, for all her life until 2004 when she could save enough money to build a private toilet.

The pace of improvement in lifestyle does not correspond to the pace of improvement in sanitation

Peripheral Concerns >> Individuals & Households >> Living & Housing >> AspirationsAhmedabad >> Mirzapur



Peripheral Concerns >> Individuals & Households >> Living & Housing >> AspirationsAhmedabad >> Mirzapur

Example 1 People are staying in houses their forefathers use to stay in. Some who have built private bathrooms have done so only a few years back along with renovation of their house. Saraswati Ben in particular, built a room on top and a toilet along with it as part of her house renovations.

On the aspirational ladder, sanitation is only a subset of better housing

Ashwathpura is a 30 year old slum comprising of nearly 400 households, located in the industrial area of Peenya. The slum mostly comprises of “Kuccha” houses with a few “Pucca” houses.

All of the residents here belong to one of 3 districts of Gulbarg, Yagiri and Raichur in Karnataka and are all employed in different capacities in the construction industry.

There are no toilet facilities in Ashwatpura and everyone who lives here engages in open defecation.


Profiles >> Location ProfileBangalore >> Ashwathpura Slum, Peenya

Ashwathpura slum

During the construction of the Mathikere flyover and the expansion of the road, in early 2010, 75 houses were demolished. To temporarily rehabilitate the families, the slum board constructed 40 1-room accommodations with shared bathrooms and toilets under the newly constructed flyover.

This community of 43 houses, has 8 sets of bathrooms & toilets with each set being assigned to a row of 6 houses.


Profiles >> Location ProfileBangalore >> Mathikere Slum

Mathikere Slum

Much like open defecation itself, accompanying activities are almost therapeutic


Example 1 Surya carries his mobile to the fields to listen to songs that he has downloaded on it

Example 2 Brushing one’s teeth is a long monotonous activity that starts when people head out from their homes to defecate and finishes when they come back, wash their hands and then rinse their mouth

Example 3 Men smoke cigarettes while they sit down to defecate

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Schedules & RoutineBangalore >> Ashwathpura Slum, Peenya




For men, the act of defecation in the open signifies a space which momentarily is not encroached by anyone – it is a private space even if physically it means being in the midst of others.

Amongst men, privacy is mostly a state of mind

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Attitudes & Perceptions >> PrivacyBangalore >> Ashwathpura Slum, Peenya


Health outcomes are perceived to link directly with water quality more than with quality of sanitation


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Hygiene >> Health PerceptionsBangalore >> Mathikere Slum

Example 1 Ratna has severe asthma and her children remain sick frequently. She along with many other members of the community, blames their ill health on the quality of water

Responsibility towards a shared toilet is evident through symbols of ownership

Bangalore >> Mathikere Slum



Example 1 The space between the toilet and the bathroom is used to wash and dry clothes

Example 2 House owners lock the toilets when not in use

Resource scarcity makes frugality a norm

Peripheral Concerns >> Individuals & Households >> Living & Housing >> Access to Resources


Example 1 The water cans people carried to defecation sites were small (0.5-1 liter), which too were only half filled

Bangalore >> Ashwathpura Slum, Peenya

Extreme frugality is intertwined with small indulgences

Peripheral Concerns >> Individuals & Households >> Consumption >> Spending HabitsBangalore >> Mathikere Slum


Example 1 On special occasions like a function, a full tank of water is hired for Rs. 500

Example 2 Surya paid Rs. 100 for 120 songs to be loaded onto his mobile which he carries to the fields in the morning

Example 3 Ratna buys small amounts of groceries to manage cash-flow while Chandrashekhar her husband frequently spends Rs. 15 for a hot water bath at a bath-house.

Example 4 Manjunath, who lives alone, pays Rs. 300 pm (8 % of his income) for his laundry.

Association between use of household sanitation products and an improved self-image is missing

Peripheral Concerns >> Individuals & Households >> Consumption >> Brands & Self Image


Users tend to identify with almost all personal hygiene products like shampoo, oil, soap, toothpaste. Sanitation products, on the other hand, are mostly seen as generic or unbranded products and are referred to by the function they perform and not the name of the brand.

Example 1 When purchasing toothpaste, people would ask for Colgate, but bleaching powder and acid were not remembered by brands.

Bangalore >> Mathikere Slum

Ratna knows that she could save Rs. 400 - 500 pm (20% of her monthly income) if she has a ration card but she does not have one and is not keen to get one made as she feels it is a tedious and time consuming process.

"I will go and get the ration card made sometime. These days the baby takes up a lot of my time and also I don't have the money to get the card made"RATNATALKING ABOUT GETTING A RATION CARD

Information asymmetry is a hurdle in availing substantial benefits

Peripheral Concerns >> Individuals & Households >> Information >> AccessBangalore >> Mathikere Slum


Example 1 Somanna and his friends who live and work together in the slum, also have a common routine around defecation

Social identity establishes prevalent behavior and breeds conformity


Peripheral Concerns >> Community >> Identity >> Self & CommunityBangalore >> Ashwathpura Slum, Peenya

Janta Chawl is a small community of 200 household, near to Carter Road in Mumbai. It largely comprises of inhabitants who have been there for as long as 30 years. New migrants live in houses leased from the original settlers.

There are two toilets in the community, each shared by a smaller sub-community who have different self-governing systems in place.

Janta Chawl

Profiles >> Location ProfileMumbai >> Janta Chawl


Gautam Nagar, Govani is a large slum of 5000 households, near the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd link road.

Two new SPARC (Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres) toilets have been built 50m apart as a result of the political aspirations of two ‘Samiti’ leaders.

There are MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) toilets in the settlement which are used by people who do not have access to the SPARC toilets.

Gautam Nagar, Govandi


Profiles >> Location ProfileMumbai >> Gautam Nagar, Govandi

Example 1 In a unique case in Janta Chawl, where the community is small, the toilets are unisex. Because of lack of anonymity amongst the residents there are no untoward or inappropriate situations.

Gender-wise division of access is required in cases where there is a certain anonymity between users

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> AccessMumbai >> Janta Chawl


Behavior and adoption of practices are imitated and accepted over time


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Schedules & RoutinesMumbai >> Janta Chawl

Example 1 Users of the toilet started locking the toilet to restrict accessExample 2 Instead of waiting, users place water cans as proxies to mark their place in the queue, at the toilet

Example 1 The semi-private toilets in Janta Chawl are cleaned by the women of the families using them. These toilets are cleaned on sundays, as most of the women are working and are free only on sunday.

Individual schedules establish community routine


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Schedules & RoutinesMumbai >> Janta Chawl

Homogenous system starts falling into place when behaviors are imitated


Virendra Talking About How People In His Slum Imitate BehaviorLink :http://www.vimeo.com/15521364

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> HacksMumbai >> Janta Chawl



A pay per use model is deemed expensive as users usually tend to relate money spent daily to facilities used by them. In a model where users pay for supplies, they feel that they have control over quality of cleaning even though it is a time consuming task.

“Since we buy the supplies ourselves, we know where the money goes, and are accountable for things getting over” VAISHALI, JANTA CHAWL

Perception of cost for using or running a toilet depends on the way it is incurred


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Attitudes & Perceptions >> CostMumbai >> Gautam Nagar, Govani & Janta Chawl


Physical placement of amenities related to the toilet impact behavior

Example 1 A well situated very close to the toilet block is used as the primary source of water by people using the toilet. The community has kept fish in the well which keeps the water clean and free of mosquitoes

Core Concerns >> Infrastructure >> Complimentary ServicesMumbai >> Janta Chawl


Domestic status dictates actions and aspirations

Peripheral Concerns >> Individuals & Households >> Living & Housing >> AspirationsMumbai >> Gautam Nagar, Govandi

“We want to build a community playground for the kids, but the church doesn’t allow us to access the land with trucks” MONISHYOUNGSTER IN THE CHAWL

“I sent my family back to the village, and am earning money and sending it to them”MAHESH GUPTA,AUTO RICKSHAW DRIVER

The model of collective ownership over the toilet, forces user to use the toilet in a more considerate manner, and clean the toilet properly, as they feel responsible for the same.

“It was constructed as a public toilet but since we have started managing it, it is like our own toilet”VIRENDRA,JANTA CHAWL


Peripheral Concerns >> Community >> Influence & Control >> Collective Action & OwnershipMumbai >> Janta Chawl

Virendra Carrying Extra Water To Clean The Toilet After Using It

Collective maintenance leads to more considerate use of a toilet

Example 1 In both Gautam Nagar and Janta Chawl, sub-communities have a more distinct identity than the collective ‘Basti’. These communities can be identified by factors such as time of inhabitation, shared infrastructure like water source and toilets.

Real or imaginary boundaries within a community influence access to amenities and subsequent adoption


Peripheral Concerns >> Community >> Image & Perceptions >> HabitsMumbai >> Gautam Nagar, Govandi & Janta Chawl

The New Settlers Who Live At A Short Distance From The Original Slum

GP Block in Pitampura is a slum comprising of nearly 1,500 houses with approx. 6,000 residents. Most families are living in houses that are 10-12 sq meters in area.

Many of the residents are migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and have been living here for 20 years. Men work as rickshaw pullers, construction workers and drivers while many women work as housemaids.

There are 3 community toilet blocks at GP Block with around 80 toilet seats. All of these are pay-per-use toilets with one of them being a mobile toilet block.


Profiles >> Location ProfileDelhi >> GP Block, Pitampura

GP Block, Pitampura

Zamrudhpur is a vertical slum, with a largely migrant population from West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. It is located next to a upper-middle class residential area, and many people who live here work as maids or drivers for this neighboring community.

The vertical slums have several rooms to a floor, and usually one or two toilets and bathrooms per floor. One room may be rented out by a family or a group of 3-10 people.

Due to the large numbers of people who live on a floor, the toilets become very dirty with overuse. There is also a pay per use toilet nearby which many people, particularly men, prefer to use.


Profiles >> Location ProfileDelhi >> Zamrudhpur

Zamrudhpur

“Pay as and when” instead of “pay and use” is the prevalent model where enforcement is not possible

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Access


Example 1 At the Pitampura toilet, the caretakers are from the local community. As compared to an outsider, they are familiar with many of the community members. As a result, they are unable to enforce strict collection of the Re. 1 fee. Only 50% of the people on any given day end up paying. The caretaker feels that community members recognize that if very few people pay, then the toilet will get closed - thus people who can afford to pay, do so.

“If a person is really poor and can’t afford to pay, I can’t stop him from using the toilet.” CARETAKER - PITAMPURA TOILETTALKING ABOUT COLLECTION OF FEES

Delhi >> GP Block, Pitampura




Example 1 The public toilet in Pitampura has a queueing system that comprised of 2 sets of queues for defecating & bathing. Within the system for defecating, people queued up in front of individual toilet doors and were using a set of water cans as proxies to indicate and enforce their respective turns to use the toilet.

We saw no one trying to break this system or trying to jump the queue. The queues remained in place even when it started raining quite heavily in the open courtyard where everyone stood.

People value their place in the queue highly and tend not to give it up to people with even more “urgent calls of nature”.

Protocols for shared use are uniformly adopted at a community toilet

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Rituals


Men Remain Queued Up In Spite Of The RainsLink :http://www.vimeo.com/15534232




Example 1 At Pitampura, we saw long queues at the toilet at 6:45 AM in both the men’s & women’s sections of the toilet.

At about 8:30 - 9:00 AM the crowd started thinning out.

The caretaker said that in the evening at around 6:30 - 7:00 PM, smaller queues would form again.

Community toilet facilities have peaks of usage in the morning and evening

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Schedules & Routines


Rush Hour At Pitampura’s ToiletLink :http://www.vimeo.com/15521703




For most men, the community toilet space is an extension of their home and the same protocols apply

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Attitudes & Perceptions >> Privacy



Example 1 Women on the other hand, feel a greater need to dress appropriately while at community toilets

Example 1 Meena & her eldest daughter Arti often use the bathroom in their neighbor's house (a distant relative) to bathe. Her younger girls and sons go to the community water point to bathe

People tend to grant access to women to sanitation and bathing facilities within their community


Meena’s Neighbour Whose Bathroom Meena And Arti Use

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Attitudes & Perceptions >> PrivacyDelhi >> GP Block, Pitampura

Example 1 At Pitampura, Samadhan and Dhanraj both said that they did not use the pinch of detergent kept at the facility to wash their hands because it had been dirtied by the touch of other people.

They preferred coming back home and washing their hands with soap there.

Amenities that can be accessed at home, are not accessed at public toilets for fear of contamination

Core Concerns >> Hygiene >> Taboos & Beliefs


The Caretaker And Cleaner Remain Fairly Isolated From The Rest Of The Community


A loosely defined framework, that includes incentives and a familiarity with the community, enables caretakers to be successful

Core Concerns >> Infrastructure >> Organizational Structures


The Caretaker And His Wife At The Counter In The Toilet Facility

Example 1 At Pitampura, the NGO that runs the toilet replaces caretakers if they don’t perform well - on operational and financial metrics.

All caretakers (including the present one) are from the GP Block community and thus know the community members and their needs fairly well.

This mix of incentives + local knowledge has meant that the current caretaker balances the need of the community (for e.g. allowing certain people to use the toilet for free if they don't have money) with the needs of the entity running the toilet.


The structure of schemes provides only partial benefits to beneficiaries

Peripheral Concerns >> Individuals & Households >> Information >> Access


Rice, Grains And Other Eatables At Samadhan’s House

Example 1 Samadhan’s family is unable to buy enough groceries to last the entire month from the ration shop because of limited quota per household - they end up buying groceries at the local retail shop which are comparatively much more expensive.


Social sanction for improper use or behavior is met with hostility

Peripheral Concerns >> Community >> Influence & Control >> Power Structures & Leadership


Dhanraj With His Family

“There is no point putting individual taps in each toilet stall. Many people will leave them running which will waste water. And if someone else tells them to turn off the taps, they will simply say – “What does it matter to you ?”. People become very hostile when someone tells them something.”DHANRAJTALKING ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY TOILET


Happy Colony

Location ProfilePune >> Happy Colony


Happy Colony is uniquely situated in the middle of a residential area in Kothrud in Pune, and is surrounded by many high-rise apartment complexes. Many of the residents of this slum work as maids and servants in these houses. Most of the residents of the slum are migrants from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

There are 3 government toilets and one toilet built by SPARC. While these toilets are located within close proximity, and can easily be used by most residents of the slum, in actuality, there is an unspoken system of demarcation, and certain sub-communities use certain toilets.

Ram Tekdi is is a slum of nearly 1500 household, comprising primarily of Maharashtrians, with a sizable Muslim minority. Many of the residents work as maids, day laborers, and rickshaw drivers.

There are 3 community toilets (one exclusively for women), an open field at the top of the hill which is used to defecate in, and a few private toilets in the older houses.

There is an active NGO and governmental presence in the area, largely due to a local female community leader, Vaishalitai Shinde.

Ram Tekdi

Location ProfilePune >> Ram Tekdi


The needs of infants and young children are overlooked in the established sanitation system

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Special Users & NeedsPune >> Happy Colony


Example 1 Young children do not use toilet facilities, but defecate in the open, either on the road or the gutter outside of their home and sometimes even inside their houseExample 2 A major change of perception with regards to privacy for young girls happens once they reach a pre-pubescent or adolescent age; they are expected to go to the women’s toilet with their mother unlike teenage boys, who can continue using the children’s toilet

Many community toilets become quite crowded during morning rush hours, and the long wait also discourage people from using the facilities. Instead, many will go to defecate outside, where they don’t have to wait for others.

“When the pressure hits, you have to relieve yourselves anyhow. You can’t afford to wait in a queue” RAJA RAM CHAUHAN, 39RESPONSE ON BEING ASKED WHY HE OPEN DEFECATES

Convenience will often trump “good” sanitation.

Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Attitudes and Perceptions >> Convenience Pune >> Ram Tekdi


The ‘act’ of rinsing your hands after defecation is more understood than the actual reason for it.

Example 1 A man rinses his hands with dirty water from a puddle after defecating in a field.

Hygiene practices are adhered to but not understood

Core Concerns >> Hygiene >> HabitsCity >> Pune >> Ram Tekdi & Happy Colony


Individuals tend to customize practices which they feel ensure personal and household cleanliness

Core Concerns >> Hygiene >> HabitsPune >> Ram Tekdi


Example 1 Saira uses a rough stone to wash her clothes on, as she feels it helps clean the clothes better. She also prefers to empty the garbage bin in their house at night before the family goes to sleep, so that they are not sharing the same space with their refuse

Unspoken boundaries set by socio-cultural norms affect the way amenities are used

Core Concerns >> Hygiene >> Self and Community Pune >> Ram Tekdi & Happy Colony


Example 1 Chandrahaas from Ram Tekdi, defecates in the field rather than using the private toilet in his house, as he doesn’t want to encroach on the privacy of his daughters-in-law at home who follow the Purdah system.




Example 1 The toilet booths in the public toilet in Ram Tekdi do not have doors. This ensures that users do not take too long and it automatically imposes certain behaviors like flushing after using as there is no anonymity and one can see if you leave a toilet dirty.

Exposing the user ensures responsible use

Core Concerns >> Infrastructure >> DesignPune >> Ram Tekdi


Example 1 A private toilet was built inside the house for Meera, while she was pregnant. The toilet is not in use anymore, except in emergency situations. The family has gone back to paying Rs. 30 pm for using the community toilet.

“The toilet was a necessity when my daughter was pregnant. We stopped using it after, as it was right next to the kitchen. How can you cook and eat if the toilet smell spreads right there ?” VIKAS GODKE , 54HAPPY COLONY

Core Concerns >> Infrastructure >> DesignPune >> Happy Colony


Special needs are a trigger for private sanitation

Example 1 Saira in Ram Tekdi, saw a TV advertisement for Lifebuoy soap, where it claimed to be the most effective product for killing germs, and since has been purchasing only that brand for her house.

Peripheral Concerns >> Users >> Living and Housing >> AspirationsPune >> Ram Tekdi


Aspirations influence the adoption of personal hygiene products




insights preview: the potty project

Design

private sanitation

cost ux research

hacks design

sanitary waste ux research

free community toilets

mixture of sanitation

access health perceptions

rituals self community