The importance of icons: Japanese toilets agree to standardize symbols

Perhaps you have encountered one of these toilets before, but they are famous from comedy films: Japanese toilets. The most advanced technology applied to bathroom appliances, allows for them to play music, flush, dry, etc.

But foreign tourists always had problems understanding what the function of the buttons were: different manufacturers used the same icons for different functions. This is why they have decided to use standard versions with official meanings from now on.

Here lies the importance of icons: for a foreigner who doesn’t even know the Japanese alphabet, understandable and obvious meaning icons are fundamental to understanding basic messages. That is why, the more internationally standardized symbols are, the better for travelers 🙂

H/t: MentalFloss

Image via Arstechnica UK