Insights Preview: The Potty Project

Insights Preview
The Potty Project
Ahmedabad Bangalore Mumbai New Delhi Pune

UX Research on Sanitation in Urban India
Quicksand Design Studio >> OCTOBER 201 0

Framework For Reporting Insights

CORE CONCERNS PERIPHERAL CONCERNS

Defecation Hygiene Individuals & Households Community
>> Use >> Habits >> Living & Housing >> Identity
___Special users & needs >> Taboos & Beliefs ___Access to resources ___Self & community
___Access >> Health Perceptions ___Access to services ___Symbols & icons
___Rituals >> Self & community ___Aspirations >> Inﬂuence & Control
___Artifacts >> Family Structures ___Power structures & leadership
___Schedules & Routines Infrastructure ___Roles & responsibilities ___Collective action & ownership
___Hacks >> Design ___Extended structures >> Image & Perceptions
___Evolution of use >> Complimentary services >> Consumption ___Status
>> Attitudes & Perceptions >> Organizational Structures ___Spending habits ___Habits
___Privacy ___Brands & self-image
___Awareness ___Aspirations
___Reputation >> Information
___Cleanliness ___Awareness
___Risk ___Access
___Convenience
___Cost

UX Research on Sanitation in Urban India >> Quicksand Design Studio >> O C TOBER 201 0

Ahmedabad Bangalore Mumbai New Delhi Pune UX Research on Sanitation in Urban India
Quicksand Design Studio >> OCTOBER 201 0

Ahmedabad >> Mirzapur
Proﬁles >> Location Proﬁle

Mirzapur

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.


Ahmedabad >> Khodiyar Nagar

Khodiyar Nagar

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.


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Special Users & Needs

For women, menstrual waste is a bigger shame than feces

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


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

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

“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 stuﬃness inside -
we’d rather do it in the open”
RESIDENT, MIRZAPUR


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Attitudes & Perceptions >> Cost

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

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

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


Core Concerns >> Hygiene >> Taboos & Beliefs

People’s understanding of cleanliness is mostly superﬁcial

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



Core Concerns >> Infrastructure >> Design

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

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



Design of enclosed facilities establishes the rules of use more clearly

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

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.


Core Concerns >> Infrastructure >> Organizational Structures

Sharing responsibility amongst close family helps tide over ﬁnancial
inadequacy

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.


Peripheral Concerns >> Individuals & Households >> Living & Housing >> Aspirations

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

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.



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

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.


Bangalore >> Ashwathpura Slum, Peenya

Ashwathpura slum

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 diﬀerent capacities in the
construction industry.
There are no toilet facilities in Ashwatpura and
everyone who lives here engages in open
defecation.


Bangalore >> Mathikere Slum

Mathikere 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.


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Schedules & Routine

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 >> Attitudes & Perceptions >> Privacy

Amongst men, privacy is mostly a state of mind

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.


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Hygiene >> Health Perceptions

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

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

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


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

Resource scarcity makes frugality a norm

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


Peripheral Concerns >> Individuals & Households >> Consumption >> Spending Habits

Extreme frugality is intertwined with small indulgences

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.


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

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

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.


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

Information asymmetry is a hurdle in availing substantial beneﬁts

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"
RATNA
TALKING ABOUT GETTING A RATION CARD


Peripheral Concerns >> Community >> Identity >> Self & Community

Social identity establishes prevalent behavior and breeds conformity

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


Mumbai >> Janta Chawl

Janta Chawl

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 diﬀerent self-
governing systems in place.


Mumbai >> Gautam Nagar, Govandi

Gautam Nagar, Govandi

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.


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Access

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

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.


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

Behavior and adoption of practices are imitated and accepted over
time

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



Individual schedules establish community routine

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.


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Hacks

Homogenous system starts falling into place when behaviors are
imitated

Virendra Talking About How People In His Slum Imitate Behavior


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

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

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


Core Concerns >> Infrastructure >> Complimentary Services

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


Mumbai >> Gautam Nagar, Govandi

Domestic status dictates actions and aspirations

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


Peripheral Concerns >> Community >> Inﬂuence & Control >> Collective Action & Ownership

Collective maintenance leads to more considerate use of a toilet

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

Virendra Carrying Extra Water To Clean The Toilet After Using It


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

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

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.

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


Delhi >> GP Block, Pitampura

GP Block, Pitampura

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.


Delhi >> Zamrudhpur

Zamrudhpur

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.


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Access

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

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 aﬀord to pay, do so.

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


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Rituals

Protocols for shared use are uniformly adopted at a community toilet

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 Men Remain Queued Up In Spite Of The Rains
“urgent calls of nature”.



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

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.

Rush Hour At Pitampura’s Toilet



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

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



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

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

Meena’s Neighbour Whose Bathroom Meena And Arti Use


Core Concerns >> Hygiene >> Taboos & Beliefs

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

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.

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


Core Concerns >> Infrastructure >> Organizational Structures

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

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 Caretaker And His Wife At The Counter In The Toilet Facility


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

The structure of schemes provides only partial beneﬁts to beneﬁciaries

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.

Rice, Grains And Other Eatables At Samadhan’s House


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

Social sanction for improper use or behavior is met with hostility

“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 oﬀ the taps, they will
simply say – “What does it matter to you ?”.
People become very hostile when someone tells
them something.”
DHANRAJ
TALKING ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY TOILET

Dhanraj With His Family


Pune >> Happy Colony
Location Proﬁle

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.


Pune >> Ram Tekdi
Location Proﬁle

Ram Tekdi

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.


Core Concerns >> Defecation >> Use >> Special Users & Needs

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

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 house
Example 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


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

Convenience will often trump “good” sanitation.

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 aﬀord to wait in a
queue”
RAJA RAM CHAUHAN, 39
RESPONSE ON BEING ASKED WHY HE OPEN DEFECATES


City >> Pune >> Ram Tekdi & Happy Colony
Core Concerns >> Hygiene >> Habits

Hygiene practices are adhered to but not understood

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.


Pune >> Ram Tekdi
Core Concerns >> Hygiene >> Habits

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

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


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

Unspoken boundaries set by socio-cultural norms aﬀect the way
amenities are used

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.



Pune >> Ram Tekdi

Exposing the user ensures responsible use

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.



Special needs are a trigger for private sanitation

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 , 54
HAPPY COLONY


Pune >> Ram Tekdi
Peripheral Concerns >> Users >> Living and Housing >> Aspirations

Aspirations inﬂuence the adoption of personal hygiene products

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



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