The Toilet Next Stop
The Toilet Next Stop is an interactive balancing maze toy that mirrors the public’s struggle to locate MRT restrooms in urgent situations. Players must demonstrate dexterity and patience to navigate obstacles, evoking a sense of urgency while highlighting the disorientation often experienced.
By challenging the perceived convenience of these renowned world-class infrastructures, the project invites reflection on overlooked gaps in meticulously planned systems. It encourages conversations about inclusivity as well as the realities of public convenience that are frequently ignored.
We used a fitness app to track our route from the moment we alighted from the train to locating MRT station toilets. The app recorded the distance, time taken and level of difficulty in accessing the restrooms. Based on this data, we brainstormed ways to translate the findings into an artefact. A maze game emerged as the most effective representation of the experience. We then incorporated the recorded GPS route into the maze design, shaping the obstacles based on the navigational challenges encountered.
One of the challenges we encountered was designing a functional maze. Since the maze walls were generated from a GPS route, they were highly detailed and jagged, making them difficult to laser cut without becoming brittle. Through trial and error, we experimented with different plywood thicknesses and refined the routes in Illustrator to balance detail and structural integrity.
This project was also a valuable learning experience, as it was my first time using a laser cutter. I gained hands-on knowledge of setting up laser-cut files, adjusting laser thickness and fine-tuning speed settings to achieve the intricate details of
our maze.
We 3D-printed a version of the maze to better understand its scale and tactile experience compared to our plywood version. This allowed us to evaluate the suitability of different materials and ensure the object’s weight was comfortable to hold while playing. Additionally, we conducted public playtests to gather firsthand feedback on the maze experience.
