While traveling recently, I had a halt at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and needed to use the restroom. I was amazed at the thoughtful design and the amount of space each stall had. You could easily slide in your carry-on along with wall handles to hang your bag/coat/belongings. It also had counter space to place any other items that you would have. All of this, and there was still enough space to easily move around!
Totally impressed by this design, I read up a bit more and turns out Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport bathrooms have been voted the best in the U.S and awarded Cintas’ 2016 America’s Best Restroom Award. The restroom submissions were judged based on cleanliness, aesthetics, innovation, functionality, and unique design elements.
Two things I wanted to point out from a UX perspective that I think they nailed it right: UX Research and being User focused.
- A team started creating designs for updated MSP Airport bathrooms in 2009, where they toured roughly 100 restrooms across the country to take note of the best restrooms. That’s great market and competitive research!
- Senior Airport Architect Alan Howell said, “we spend a lot of time focusing on what passengers need. We think the design we’ve worked on is really kind of the future for restrooms.”
Apparently, the airport will continue updating its restrooms through 2025. Upcoming renovations include more child-changing stations, pet relief stations, a lactation room and more luggage storage areas.
Cannot wait to halt there again!