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Previous: Business Week's internationalization | Main | Next: Elevator... upstairs
April 27, 2005 12:01 AM
Broken: Elevator call button
Joe Staffel writes:
This is an elevator call button in an office building in Pittsburgh. Notice the up call button is located in the spot typically used for down. Very amusing to both the tenants and visitors...
Everyone cracks up when they see this in person for the first time; it's so dumb! The upper button does nothing. The photo was taken within the street level lobby--there is no lower floor, so there is no down.
But Jen, if someone comes to the building for the first time (and maybe makes this mistake occaisionally), common practice is that if there are two buttons and you want to go up, you hit the top button. Why negate this generally accepted scheme by having the bottom button make you go up, and the top button does nothing? There's no point to it.
The up button is not broken. It is labeled correctly, lights up when pressed, and has the desired effect.
What is broken is the overall design, which places the UP button on the bottom of the plate opposite another button in the TOP position. (It turns out this button has no effect). So it turns out that it takes more than a correct label to have a good design.
The small hospital where I work was originally supposed to be five floors, but work was stopped after only two floors were built. For 20 years, the elevators had buttons for five floors even though the hospital only had two floors. As you can imagine, this caused mass confusion until the elevators were renovated last year and the extra buttons removed.
"what hapened when you pressed the 3,4,5 buttons. Nothing?"
No, it makes you levitate above the roof.
""what hapened when you pressed the 3,4,5 buttons. Nothing?"
No, it makes you levitate above the roof."
Cool!!! :)
"""what hapened when you pressed the 3,4,5 buttons. Nothing?"
No, it makes you levitate above the roof."
Cool!!! :)"
Very Cool!!! :D
"""what hapened when you pressed the 3,4,5 buttons. Nothing?"
No, it makes you levitate above the roof."
Cool!!! :)"
Very Cool!!! :D
Unless it's Summer, then It's Hot!
"""what hapened when you pressed the 3,4,5 buttons. Nothing?"
No, it makes you levitate above the roof."
Cool!!! :)"
Very Cool!!! :D
Unless it's Summer, then It's Hot!
What about the winter? Brrrrr
""""what hapened when you pressed the 3,4,5 buttons. Nothing?"
No, it makes you levitate above the roof."
Cool!!! :)"
Very Cool!!! :D
Unless it's Summer, then It's Hot!
What about the winter? Brrrrr"
What about the spring? Will you get rained on while levitating?
You people (Joshua Wood and Mike) need to learn how to use quotation marks. ;) You're broken!
(just teasing, of course)
""""what hapened when you pressed the 3,4,5 buttons. Nothing?"
No, it makes you levitate above the roof."
Cool!!! :)"
Very Cool!!! :D
Unless it's Summer, then It's Hot!
What about the winter? Brrrrr"
What about the spring? Will you get rained on while levitating?
On windy days could you levitate over to the next building? That would be nifty.
"what hapened when you pressed the 3,4,5 buttons. Nothing?"
No, it makes you levitate above the roof."
Cool!!! :)"
Very Cool!!! :D
Unless it's Summer, then It's Hot!
What about the winter? Brrrrr"
What about the spring? Will you get rained on while levitating?
On windy days could you levitate over to the next building? That would be nifty.
What if there is a hurricane?
"what hapened when you pressed the 3,4,5 buttons. Nothing?"
No, it makes you levitate above the roof."
Cool!!! :)"
Very Cool!!! :D
Unless it's Summer, then It's Hot!
What about the winter? Brrrrr"
What about the spring? Will you get rained on while levitating?
On windy days could you levitate over to the next building? That would be nifty.
What if there is a hurricane?
If there's a hurricane, then the hospital is in Florida.
What do you mean there is no lower floor so a down button isn't needed? If you go up you must go ..... right?
Perhaps amusingly broken for the tenants and visitors - but a nightmare for the blind. tsk tsk - badly broken.
The idea that something can be "counterintuitive" and "confusing" but not "broken", is broken. While it's not the worst mistake I've seen, it is confusing, clearly labelled or no.
Yeah no braille, wrong location.. might be close to illegal in a couple states... also I was noticing that the buttons on the top in the fire seem to all be saying do not use the elevator during fire use stairs etc.. Im guessing other then that they have no function and are in a way broken?
We have one two-story department store that has an elevator that includes a third floor button with nothing written on it (inside the car). It was pushable and even lit up, but only took you to the second floor just as if you pressed "2".
They renovated (the mall was built in 1969) the elevator car, including new control panels, and amazingly, they have that same button (now not pushable) still!
I guess I shouldn't bother posting that there is a 15 story building in Pittsburgh that has an elevator that goes up to 20.
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Previous: Business Week's internationalization | Main | Next: Elevator... upstairs
I like the fire warning though, that's interesting!
Posted by: Reed at April 27, 2005 08:07 AM