*The project is part of my graduation practice: Visualizing the Invisible Women.
As a child, I enjoyed playing the electronic organ for fun. My teacher, recognizing my sense, suggested that I try learning the piano. However, I hesitated due to a lack of confidence, remembering I was told that only those with large hands and long fingers could excel at it, while my hands were always smaller than my peers, especially boys. But looking back, I question whether it was truly “my fault”. The memory struck me as I read the "One-Size-Fits-Men" chapter in Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez. It wasn't my hands that were too small, but rather the standard piano keyboard, which was designed to suit Caucasian male virtuosos, that was too wide for most women to play comfortably and confidently.
When we say “human”, we basically mean “men”. From Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and Le Cobusier’s The Modular, male perspectives have dominated design. Women have been systematically erased or ignored, resulting in missing data on their needs. This has a ripple effect on everyday products and even city planning, leading to invisible inequities. Sadly in many circumstances, women are just blamed for “nagging”, and girls are also more likely to internalize negative feelings than boys*. But it’s not the case.
We need to be aware that the physiological and social differences between men and women do exist and do make a difference.
Public Restroom
I collected surveys on the average time spent in restrooms by men and women during a single visit, using data from various public facilities. The results in graphics clearly indicate that women spend nearly twice as much time in restrooms compared to men, not to mention the additional time spent waiting.
The corresponding floor plan shows how the size of the stall and urinal make a difference in capacity in equal space. And the additional visual elements are related to the troubles that women meet.
The corresponding floor plan shows how the size of the stall and urinal make a difference in capacity in equal space. And the additional visual elements are related to the troubles that women meet.
Office Temperature
I translated the area graph from the related bibliography into the thermoneutral temperature zone on a thermostat, with a survey response about office temperature, revealing the notable difference in preferences between women and the conventional “standard” for men.
The iconic Vitruvian Man highlights how the concept of “standard” was formulated and why men generally prefer lower temperatures.
The iconic Vitruvian Man highlights how the concept of “standard” was formulated and why men generally prefer lower temperatures.
Piano Keyboard
I printed a mini piano keyboard with two hands, both in real size, and put a set of stats collected from 90 female and 66 male pianists, and the distribution of women’s and men’s hand span, comparing them to the conventional keyboard fitting zone.
The audience is encouraged to put their own hand on it to test whether their hand span fit within the comfort zones for performing most repertoire.
This interactive approach allows the audience to experience firsthand how the conventional piano keyboard disadvantages most adult female pianists while suiting most males, more impressive than reading texts.
The audience is encouraged to put their own hand on it to test whether their hand span fit within the comfort zones for performing most repertoire.
This interactive approach allows the audience to experience firsthand how the conventional piano keyboard disadvantages most adult female pianists while suiting most males, more impressive than reading texts.
An AR Experience Proposal.
I used a much simpler printed version of the piano keyboard as if we randomly run into an ordinary piano. But if you scan it with your phone, you can see the hidden information including the data I mentioned and the fact that female pianists in general will face much more challenges that threaten their careers because of smaller hand size.
The three evident and accessible examples shed light on how conventional standards in our daily lives often benefit males while neglecting the realistic needs of females, leading to implicit gender discrimination.
By visualizing the data in an engaging way, I aim to inspire the audience to reflect on the different natures of the two genders and recognize the need for true equality.
To women, I want to emphasize that feeling uncomfortable with certain things isn’t necessarily your fault but a result of designs not including your data. It’s time to be aware of this fact and take action to confront our needs and push for inclusive designs. ︎