(Ref: http://www.baddesigns.com/doors.html)
The picture shows two doors, and a walkway in between. The walkway connects Building One to Building Two. In order to get from one building to the other, one has to go through this walkway. There is a funny story behind this bad design, shared by one of the users from BadDesigns.com. The story behind this design goes like this:
In order to get to the walkway, one has to pull the first door. Upon reaching the second door, one has to push in order to get out of the walkway. Many of those who have been through the walkway have been trapped in between these two doors because they have assumed that both doors would require the same action - pulling instead of pushing. Pulling the first door and failing to pull the second door made them assume that the second door might be locked. Therefore, their first instinct was to go back to the first door and maybe take an alternative look. So reaching the first door again, they're first instinct was to pull the handle and it won't open! Now they're trapped between two doors.
The first thing that caught my attention was the design of the door handle. Pull handles are usually designed as it is in the picture. However, push handles are usually designed bigger, broader and flatter to facilitate the action of pushing. People usually automatically register what kind of action they are required to perform upon seeing different handle designs. The handle designs shown in the picture automatically registers pulling.
Secondly, it would be more helpful if PUSH and PULL labels were stuck next to the handles, if the handles were to be designed in such a way. Even though people generally don't read labels, they wouldn't panic as much when the doors refuse to budge. They will know that they have performed the wrong action.
Upon reading the story, users are definitely not to be blamed for being foolish and assuming that they're trapped in a walkway with doors that suddenly refuse to budge. Both doors at both ends of the walkway requires different actions - one to PULL and one to PUSH. Both doors work in opposite ways and this complicates users.
In order to get to the walkway, one has to pull the first door. Upon reaching the second door, one has to push in order to get out of the walkway. Many of those who have been through the walkway have been trapped in between these two doors because they have assumed that both doors would require the same action - pulling instead of pushing. Pulling the first door and failing to pull the second door made them assume that the second door might be locked. Therefore, their first instinct was to go back to the first door and maybe take an alternative look. So reaching the first door again, they're first instinct was to pull the handle and it won't open! Now they're trapped between two doors.
The first thing that caught my attention was the design of the door handle. Pull handles are usually designed as it is in the picture. However, push handles are usually designed bigger, broader and flatter to facilitate the action of pushing. People usually automatically register what kind of action they are required to perform upon seeing different handle designs. The handle designs shown in the picture automatically registers pulling.
Secondly, it would be more helpful if PUSH and PULL labels were stuck next to the handles, if the handles were to be designed in such a way. Even though people generally don't read labels, they wouldn't panic as much when the doors refuse to budge. They will know that they have performed the wrong action.
Upon reading the story, users are definitely not to be blamed for being foolish and assuming that they're trapped in a walkway with doors that suddenly refuse to budge. Both doors at both ends of the walkway requires different actions - one to PULL and one to PUSH. Both doors work in opposite ways and this complicates users.
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