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Usability of Toilet Paper
Over or under? It’s the age-old question when it comes to orientation of toilet paper rolls. For those who suffer from option paralysis when it comes time to replace the TP, fret no more! Clearwired has uncovered the definitive Truth on the subject.
Unbeknownst to my coworkers, I conducted a little experiment recently in our bathroom. A couple of weeks ago both toilet paper rolls ran out at about the same time. I took this as an opportunity to prove, once-and-for-all, that running the toilet paper over the roll is superior to under the roll.
I replaced the two rolls of toilet paper, one in each orientation. Conscious of my personal bias, I placed my preferred method further away from the toilet on the theory that a typical person, all things being equal, will take his TP from the nearest source. (Are Clearwired employees typical people? Wait, don’t answer that…) Since then, I have been careful not to affect the results by using equal numbers of squares from each roll.
As I suspected would happen, the “over” roll has been used at a greater rate than the “under” roll. Behold the proof.
I have a theory as to why this is the case (this is where the usability part comes in). With an over roll, you can easily see where the end of the TP is. There is no ambiguity about where to grab hold. With under rolls, you’re lucky to see a little corner of the last square. Usually, you have to bend down, grope around, or spin the roll to find the last square.
There you have it, proof that over is superior to under. But don’t take my word for it. According to the research, 68% of the population prefers over. I rest my case.
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Being a woman, and having sat in many bathrooms, I can attest that side location/ease of reach can be a factor.
You bring up an excellent point, which I addressed partly in my original post. I suspected there would be a bias towards the roll closer to the user, so I placed the one I thought was going to be preferred further away.
As you can see in this photo: http://www.clearwired.com/images/loop/tp_followup.jpg in which both rolls are in the “over” orientation, the roll closer to the user is, indeed, preferred.
So, I guess this only deepens my conviction that over is superior to under!
-Andrew
But seriously, folks (heh) - it also depends on the quality. One-ply versus two-ply and thickness.
Nice way to point out that a product isn’t “just” a product - a lot depends on the user and one man’s (or woman’s) two-ply ain’t the same as another’s.
(P.S. Found your blog via your post over at Duke City Fix. Glad to find you!)
Men stand, making the over the roll more accessible to them. Women sit more or less most of the time. Don’t know which way women vs men prefer....
Just wondering now that you brought it up!
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