Flush it — Competitor Analysis
Update: The current status of our app is in the first design iteration. We have finished our first polished prototype and first set of 10 user testing research. In parallel to the production of a second prototype, it is essential to perform a thorough competitor analysis to assess our situation in the market with respect to our competitors. I will be providing an overview of our top competitors as well as a more thorough analysis of our #1 competitor in the Apple Store.
Flush -Toilet Finder & Map
App Store Description: “Flush Toilet Finder is the quickest, simplest way of finding a public bathroom or restroom. Simply open the app and it will display the nearest toilets to you. It’s free, no in-app purchases and has over 190,000 bathrooms in its database. You can even search for restrooms without an internet connection!
- Search through 190,000 public loos all around the world!
- Find which WC’s have disabled access, a fee for usage or require a key!
- Get immediate directions on how to locate them!
- Add a toilet to increase our list of toilets and improve the app for everyone!
- Rate and report a toilet by swiping to the left on a toilet in the list!
- Support for the latest iPhone and iPad models.
When you’re walking around and need the bathroom, don’t wait. Install Flush Toilet Finder today and you’ll be at a public restroom in minutes. This is the ad-supported version of Flush Toilet Finder Pro and is similar to other apps such as SitOrSquat.”
Released: 2017
Platforms: iPhone
Rating: 4.5 Stars with 1.16k Ratings
As you can tell, this app is probably our most developed and successful competitor that most resembles our goal. We share the same problem statement of providing a map for users to find nearby toilets for their convenience.
User Experience:
As a user, I played around with the app to see how I might actually use it in practice. The app opens and it took me to the main page with the map view and list view. I can see my marker on the app along with different blueish green markers which I assumed were the locations of the different toilets. I like how it’s simple and straight to the point with no user login. I feel like I would only use this app in a local scenario. There’s no purpose in “Search for location…” when I can more easily flow through the map and list view to locate a toilet. There can be some discoverability issues with the rate and report buttons.The aesthetic is very subtle, with a small color palette of yellow, green, white, beige and blue-green. Key symbol is unclear. It isn’t intuitive for me.
Feedback from their Reviews:
* * * * *
“…Although I don’t have kids many friends with children have noted how hard it can be to find a restroom with baby-changing space. It’d be great to have that as one of the features users can note for each restroom alongside cleanliness, accessibility, etc.”
* *
“So, when you see a toilet marked. There is no info on the toilet usually. You can title it but there is no option to write more…there isn’t a way for users to say whether or not the toilet is a single person locked room or multiple people can use it with many stalls”
* * *
“It’s useful but I feel like it’s missing a little extra something. Maybe it could be like google maps, where you can click on the bathroom location and see more details, such as comments, reviews, photos, details, etc. (Cleanliness, toilet paper quality, etc.) Or even get directions there in the app.”
*
“I looked up nearby bathrooms. 1hr and 12 minute walk it says. Sadly, no business at the end point and definitely no bathroom. Bad data. Businesses not at accurate locations on the map…because it is not at all accurate for my area, I will not trust it in an area I am unfamiliar with. Deleting the app with disappointment…”
Comparison and Reflection:
Branding:
- Deuce has a Splash page that establishes the brand, however, it lacks the presence of the app logo in the main screen. Flush is the opposite, it has no splash page, but it has the “toilet roll” logo displayed on the list view for each toilet card.
Features:
Deuce
- Marker for the availability of different amenities: Accessibility, Water Station, diaper station, wifi, …
- More information page for each toilet
- Visibility of rating
- Visibility of estimated walking time
- View different ratings
- Quick rating submission process
Flush
- Marker for accessibility, key-required for access,
Reassessment and Reflection:
Our app seems to be more thorough with its information guidance. It provides more supplemental information to the user to help them quickly access the best option for their convenience. Furthermore, we will be taking into consideration in incorporating some of the user feedback provided in their store ratings. Some of the user feedback was addressed with our design; in particular, our initial design has markers for different amenities depending on the needs of the user. Our review system is more thorough, but does not force a long lengthy process. We need to consider how we will provide toilet verification if we are to crowdsource toilet location data like Flush. One solution is to implement a machine learning algorithm to block off certain areas. For example, a public restroom would not likely exist in a residential area. Some reviews mentioned that some marked toilets were in private homes. The machine learning algorithm may only solve 90% of the problem. The other 10% could potentially be solved with a manual user reporting system that removes toilets.
Thanks for reading!
— Martin Magsombol, 2019
