Whenever anyone thinks of Japan, the first thing that pops up in your mind is robots. As we all know, Japan is the world´s number one industrial robot manufacturer. But that's not all they seem to be good at.
Japan is also known as a high-tech country. The facilities available there are much more advanced than what we have here in Malaysia. But not only are they designed to make people's lives easier and these designs are even applied to everyday things that we use regularly so that people can be more comfortable and happy.
Recently, a Twitter user compiled a long list of user experience (UX) based designs that make people's lives easier:
Here are some of the things in Japan that just make sense:
#1 Japanese stairs in Tokyo show how many calories you burn as you go up
#2 The ATM has a calculator in case you need it
#3 Signs in 3D at Japanese train stations make it easier to navigate from far
#4 All-in-one sink with soap, water & air to dry your hands after washing
#5 There's a cup holder at the ATM to put your coffee while using it
#6 Drinks have braille on top for those who can't see
#7 Japanese chewing gums come with little pieces of paper for you to wrap your gum after
#8 Japanese toilets have a button that makes white noise or water sound so that no one hears when you poop.
#9 Pudding containers have a button at the bottom so that you can push it out onto a plate
#10 The Japanese Suica travel card has a kink on one side so that you know it's the front of the card when you need to insert it into a machine
#11 Japanese toilets show you which one is vacant or occupied
#12 What you see is what you get
#13 Lockers with built-in fridges to keep your stuff cool & fresh while you shop
#14 Smartphone wipe to keep your phone clean
#15 Japanese airport staff sort luggage by colours so that you can find your one easily
#16 Hotel light can be lit half so that the other person can sleep peacefully
#17 Kids have their own "driver seats" inside trains
#18 Tourist spots have phone holders so you can take nice selfies
#19 Elevators & buildings show raining signs if it rains outside
#20 Reading glasses with different 'power' for people to use when filling out forms
#21 Button to ask taxi drivers to drive slower
#22 Urinals with video games that you control with your pee
Isn't Japan amazing? Which of the unique and amazing designs above do you wish were available in Malaysia? Share your answers and reasons in the comments section!
