Insights


Patray

Patray is from Hong Kong , which was hit hard by the SARS virus in 2003. The epidemic and the fear it generated had a great impact on the habits of the Hong Kongese regarding general hygiene and cleanliness.

Responses to the virus range from the mundane to the paranoid. People adopted face masks to wear in public, as much to appear responsible as to protect themselves from others. Couples were seen kissing through these face masks in public. In restaurants, partitions were erected between tables to prevent coughs or sneezes from contaminating other's food. Disposable chop sticks replaced reusable ones, to reduce the risk of the unusual virus from spreading by shared utensils. Building managers started to stretch plastic over the buttons of elevators, replacing them every 30 minutes. Tissues were distributed free in the streets and carpets were regularly sterilized. Subway riders were seen wrapping paper over grip poles rather then tough them directly.

Patray speaks of these precautions as occurring in “SARS-time”, as opposed to now. Most of these precautions have been abandoned by a public that feels the danger has passed. Some are here to stay, such as protective face masks and disposable chop sticks.

Victoria

Victoria is from Manilla. Her outlook on germs has been formed by her mother, who raised her to avoid potential contamination by various precautions. At restaurants, her mother advised her to never eat the ends of french fries, because that was the spot from which they were held to eat. At pizzerias, she was instructed to not eat the crust for the same reason.

While she has abandoned some of these precautions as overprotective, she retains an active concern over germs, relying on antibacterial handwashing gel before eating meals. She still wipes the tops of soda cans before drinking, and she still taps elevator buttons with her knuckles rather then her fingers.

Steven

Steven is from South Africa . His attitude towards germs is a personal response to his environment growing up, and not specifically learned. He developed a sensitivity to cleanliness after discovering that the supposedly clean glassware and utensils in his family cupboards were spotty. His response was to rinse any tableware before using it, even when he has cleaned the tableware himself.

This behavior extends to points of contact with other people. “My own germs are clean”, he says. Elevator buttons, cash machines, and door handles are only used with knuckle contact, or through the fabric of a shirt. Escalator rails and stair rails are avoided completely, even to the point that he would pull his girlfriend's hand away as well. Such behavior has become a flashpoint socially, and he is trying to relax his standards so as to not insult people.

Reflection on the Process

Research so far has been mostly focussed on existing publications, in order to understand the scope of this area, as well as brief interviews, conversations and observations.

We spent considerable time in these early stages, thinking directly about possible service applications to see how people would react to the suggestion of various concepts, then stepped back to see the larger picture, seeking out more established information on a broader scale.

We need to conduct more detailed and formal interviews to investigate further the complexities involved in human interaction and fear or concern for the issues discussed. Having developed the area of research and motivation we can now progress to a more structured interview and observation stage.