How to Open a Public-Restroom Door

"Touching a doorknob or push-plate means you take a chance of picking up a lot of terms."

Really? Is "hypochondria" one of them?

Nice idea, but trying to look at this from a facility manager's perspective (their primary customer), I'm concerned about product durability. How will such a long lever arm survive in the hostile environment known as a public restroom? "Hey bro, push open the door while I stand on that thing, hehehe."

As it is, their site is primarily focused on the idea of the product, but does not discuss its engineering, durability, installation, etc. What alloy are they using, and is it cast or welded? This type of information is very important to the facility managers and architects who would be specifying this thing. There are also potential benefits they've forgotten to discuss if indeed this product solves the problem of people's reluctance to touch restroom doors: Decrease in restroom floor litter and savings on paper towels and extra trash cans.

From a use point of view, have they tested the product to see what percentage of people will actually use their feet to pull open a door? Some doors are big and heavy, and some people aren't. I doubt anyone in heels is going to want to use the Toepener.

The idea seems like a good possible stopgap for an unfortunate design pattern on many school campuses: Narrow hallways best suited to in-swinging doors (where allowed by code). But a better solution to avoiding the transmission of germs on restroom doors is more fundamental: Design the doorway to swing outwards, with push and kick plates, and use anti-microbial stainless steel on the former.

Regarding the toepener.com visual design, I find the blinking Step-Pull-Walk image animation quite jarring to the eye. Should have a fade or dissolve transition between images; Who of the twelve is in charge of UX? ;)

wow the new freakonomics blog design is really cluttered- front page feels almost unusable.

this toepener is not terrible idea given how much people buy hand sanitizers, but their site is basically devoid of information- you'd think out of 12 people it'd be easy to put up some content about why people should be afraid of the big bad germs...

speaking of public restroom innovation: how can it be 2011 and automatic toilets still don't work correctly most of the time? so annoying when it flushes prior to your opening the stall door and you then end up double-flushing with the supposedly eco-friendly toilet.

Because every surface from the bathroom to your desk isn't covered in the germs of everyone else?

Personally, I look at exiting the bathroom as a chance to strengthen my immune system.

Have you ever had a situation where you are pulling to open the door from one side and another person, unknowingly, pushing it from the other (happens often for me). I wonder what awkward position the guy on the inside would end up in in this case.

It took 12 people to develop this concept?

http://www.toepener.com/aboutus.html

Why even have a door? I like how restrooms at the airport are set up. You just walk in.

Or, owners that have public facilities can re-install the doors so that they open outward from the inside. That way, you can use any part of the forearm to push any part of the door.

Or they could pay a bit extra and install double hinge doors like the ones you see for wait staff at restauraunts.

Either way, it's not expensive, nor are there needs of a toe opener.