From a practical point of view the rubber screen filters out unwanted objects such as chewing gum and cigarette butts. Additionally, the scented urinal screen has 30 days of built-in deodorant protection, releasing a pleasant scent without the hassle of a block that might flake apart and clog the drain. More importantly however, evidence suggests that giving men something to aim at improves concentration and prevents a substantial amount of spillage.
According to recent studies men usually do not pay much attention to where they aim when relieving themselves, typically causing a mess in the vicinity of the urinal. Giving men a target to aim at, they can not help but to try to hit it. One study, conducted at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, had an image of a black fly etched into each urinal. The results are undeniable as spillage has decreased by 80% since the flies were etched. Reducing the amount of spillage makes cleaning less of an odious task and ultimately reduces cleaning and sanitation related expenses. Most recently, the fly-in-urinal concept was touted by engineering professor Kim Vicente in his book, The Human Factor, as a prime example of “human-friendly design.”
“If you go to the men’s washrooms at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, you may notice there’s a fly in the urinals. So what do you think most men do? That’s right, they aim at the fly when they urinate. They don’t even think about it, and they don’t need to read a user’s manual; it’s just an instinctive reaction. The interesting feature of these urinals is that they’re deliberately designed to take advantage of this inherent human male tendency.”
The greatest benefit, however, is likely to be derived from the entertainment value created by the products. The word of mouth of a new, never before seen form of urinal entertainment experienced at your restaurant has the potential to attract new customers while keeping recurring customers coming back.
