Poka-Yoke Devices - Hotels

Poka-yoke is a Japanese term that means 'fail-safe' or 'mistake-proofing'. Originally called baka-yoke which means fool-proofing or idiot-proofing, the name was changed to a milder form of admonishment!  The point of a poka-yoke device is to provide a check-point to ensure a service can take place without hiccups. Simple check-lists are examples, but there are also numerous devices you see every day but you may not realize they are an integral part of ensuring a service process runs smoothly.

Poka-yoke devices are devices built into a service process to minimize customer error.

Hotels are designed with the same principle in mind; minimize the likelihood of a user mistake through good design.  A patron is undergoing a journey through a hotel process. The journey the hotel offers is the same for everyone - basically a room for the night. In order for this process to be carried out with greatest efficiency and effectiveness, and because hotels' capital investment is mainly in the facility, the facility is designed to minimize the likelihood of anyone straying outside of the process. Ways patrons might stray outside the process include; stealing stuff, damaging stuff, losing stuff (like their keys), getting lost, hurting themselves (falling over in their room), wasting power or water, misusing the room (sneaking people in, cooking etc..) and so on (use your imagination!).     

On a recent business trip to Wellington, I stayed in an Ibis Hotel, and I photographed some simple Poka-yoke devices in my room in order to show how hotel design minimizes the likelihood of process errors. 

Some of the poka-yoke points include:

1. The hotel lifts will only operate if I use my room key card to enable the lift. This is a security measure to ensure non-patrons cannot enter into room areas easily, helping to prevent theft. The lifts are within the sightline of the front-desk meaning it is difficult to sneak stuff into your room that shouldn't be there (like extra people).  
2. When inside the room, you must place your key card into the slot shown below in order to enable power to the room including lights. This also means that when you leave the room and take your key card the lights to the room are turned off, meaning power is not wasted. It also means you are unlikely to forget your card. Your room will not lock unless the card is removed. 

3. You will notice that almost all hotel rooms have clothes hangers that detach leaving the hook behind. This is designed to stop patrons stealing clothes hangers.

4. Electrical appliances like irons and hair dryers are often wired into the wall. Again this stops them being stolen but also helps stop misuse (i.e. putting electrical appliances in water which is really dangerous).

5. Another simple design feature is to make all furnishings out of hard-wearing durable fabrics and materials, that are also easy to keep clean, and if a mark is made, not easy to see. So, for instance, carpets are often dark colors, in patterns and textures that minimize the appearance of wear and tear.