Toilet Paper

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Toilet Tissue, Bathroom Tissue, Hygiene Paper

Category

Public Facilities, Hygiene

Message / Function

To show the location of toilet paper

	Source	Description
	CNIS	Frontal view of a hand taking toilet paper, dashed line on the paper
	ISO 7001	Frontal view of a hand taking toilet paper, dashed line on the paper
	Dutchicon	Parallel projection of toilet paper roll, dotted line indicating perforation
	Mijksenaar 2021	Toilet paper roll, perforation as dashed line
	Health Icons	Toilet paper roll, perforation as dotted line

Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

Discussion

Besides various renderings of toilet paper rolls with perforation the remaining pictograms found conform to the image content of ISO 7001 public information symbol PI PF 076, showing a hand next to a parallel projection of a toilet paper roll and a dashed line on the paper.

Data from tests is sparse, as only a single pictogram was examined:

The pictogram from the Chinese standard GB/T 10001.1-2012, Public Information Graphical Symbols, labeled CNIS in the table above, was examined in a Comprehension Test among 241 Chinese respondents (ISO/TC 145/SC 1, 2015). 64.7 % of the responses were classified as correct, but no information is available concerning most frequent wrong responses. We question if showing a hand really is necessary to convey this message.

In a paper on influencing factors concerning the comprehensibility of graphical symbols conducted in China (Zou et al., 2015) also a pictogram for the referent Toilet Paper, labeled CNIS in the table above, was examined. The authors report that no significant relationship between education level and comprehensibility was found among the Chinese respondents who participated in this study.

Recommendations

Due to the fact that data from research is insufficient, we recommend comparing the Chinese variant, labeled CNIS above, with two variants showing just a toilet paper roll with perforation on basis of a Comprehension Test. Such a studiy should deliver useful data for recommending the best pictogram. Detailed information about the most frequent responses given in each of the response categories of the Comprehension Test should be provided to correctly judge comprehensibility and improve designs.

Tests of pictograms of referent Toilet Paper

ISO/TC 145/SC 1 (2015): N648 Application and test results for N 642-646, dated 2015-02-26. ISO: ISO/TC 145/SC 1 N 648.

Zou, CY., Zhang, F., & Hu, H. (2015): Analysis on the Influencing Factors of the Comprehensibility of Graphical Symbols. In: Stephanidis, C. (eds) HCI International 2015 - Posters’ Extended Abstracts. HCI 2015. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 529. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21383-5_121.