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One example of quality design which I gleaned from reading Don Norman's "The Design Of Everyday Things" is the metal plate I've frequently seen on doors which a
by toomanyrichies 5y ago
One example of quality design which I gleaned from reading Don Norman's "The Design Of Everyday Things" is the metal plate I've frequently seen on doors which are meant to be pushed.
The only affordance of such a plate is its push-ability, and the fact that someone actively installed a metal plate (instead of just relying on the door's natural flatness), as well as its location at the point of maximum leverage (all the way to the right of the door, in the door's vertical center), is a clear signifier for such push-ability.
Not only that, but it does its job without offering any other confusing affordances (such as a vertical handle which is also technically pushable, but which many would interpret as being meant to be pulled).
Whenever I need a relatable, succinct example of affordances and signifiers for my engineering comrades, I turn to this one. Anyone interested in design is doing themselves a dis-service by not reading Don Norman's classic.
- extrapickles 5y agoThe plate also makes it easier to clean as without it peoples handprints will be in a wider area. For wood doors its even better as wood can be time consuming to clean well.
- rakwoelq 5y agoI always avoid touching that metal door plate, I've gotten 'stainless steel cleaner and polish' on my hands too many times for me to consider using it again.
- rambambram 5y agoNow that you mention it, I do the same unknowingly. I always go for the wood above the plate, just because unconsciously I think it's cleaner than the metal plate.
- kqr 5y agoThe metal is easier to clean, but the wood (depending on treatment) might be naturally a bit more antiseptic because it dries up quicker. Unless, maybe, the plate is copper?
- roland35 5y agoThat is a great book! There is so much discussion around doors, and rightfully so! I can never walk through an unusual door again without thinking about it since reading that chapter.
- ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago> "The Design Of Everyday Things" That book changed my life. Totally agree. Anyone that designs things to be used by other people, would be well-served, reading that book.
- amarshall 5y agoPerhaps ironically, the opposite door design (one where it’s not clear whether to push or pull) is thusly called a Norman Door [1]. The term is sometimes applied more generically beyond doors. [1]: https://99percentinvisible.org/article/norman-doors-dont-know-whether-push-pull-blame-design/ https://99percentinvisible.org/article/norman-doors-dont-kno...
- ctack 5y agoI’m guessing the vox office featured door has that bar because a flat metal plate wouldn’t seem right applied to glass? Going without the plate the glass would get dirty.
- kevinmchugh 5y agoI'm currently in a country where I can't read the language and memorizing push vs pull feels so unnecessary when you could just design a door with obvious operation mechanics
- hattori31 5y agoWell,learning a few words can help you anywhere really.
- eropple 5y agoI ran into a door today that had a handle on the push side. Not even a crossbar - an aluminum folded-over handle, one on each of the double doors. It is, unmistakably, a pull handle, and it had "PUSH" written above it and even underlined, and still it gave me pause.
- robocat 5y agoI see so many glass doors designed like that. The doors usually have a sticker that says “PUSH” on the push side, however the sticker is invariably printed with a transparent background so you can read it from the pull side. I don’t notice when I am reading something backwards/mirrored, so I am always pushing on the pull side…… Arrrrrrgh!
- laurent92 5y agoAt this point I believe it’s a tradition to design push doors this way.
- dalmo3 5y agoI also often fall for those signs that can be read from behind. Also somewhat related, I hate road signs written on the road that read bottom up.
- usrusr 5y agoThe part of my brain that deciphers the mirrored text is so proud of its stupid little achievement that it shouts down the result from the easy version so that the part that tells my hands what to do only gets the mirrored instruction. Every single time.
- conductr 5y agoI can think of one door in a place I frequent for lunch like this which I have repeatedly ran into. Now, 80% of the times I start thinking about it about 20 feet away as I’m approaching it. My internal dialogue goes something like “Ignore how it looks, it’s a push door.” The other 20% of the times I still fumble the opening. It’s the most unintuitive thing I’ve experienced in a while.
- hooande 5y ago"When a device as simple as a door has to come with an instruction manual—even a one-word manual—then it is a failure, poorly designed."
- loceng 5y agoThe natural wear or polishing that occurs further acts as a signal to draw one's attention to it as wwll
- loceng 5y agoThe natural wear or polishing that occurs further acts as a signal to draw one's attention to it as well.
- alpaca128 5y agoWhile this is true I often wonder why so many of those doors don't just open towards both sides. They exist and I think it's the best compromise because it's just not possible to use it the wrong way.
- michaelhoney 5y agoA couple of possible reasons: one-way doors can have a solid frame, making them easier to secure; and they are better at sealing against weather.
- tommoor 5y agoand fire. one way swing allows the frame to wrap around on one side – increasing fire resistence
- e12e 5y agoIf the door isn't transparent - it's a great way to collide with someone coming the other way... And getting the door in your face.
- joconde 5y agoIt's well-designed as a means of exchanging viruses with all the other users. At least its purpose is clear, so I can avoid it when I see it.
- mpclark 5y agoThat’ll be (part of) why doors often also have a similarly designed ‘kick plate’ on the bottom edge
- pmyteh 5y agoThey're traditionally made of brass, which is naturally anti-microbial (the copper, specifically). Not clinically secure, of course, but far better than nothing. You can push them with a covered elbow as well, of course.
- TomGullen 5y agoHere in the UK a lot of bathrooms in pubs and other places have push to get in, and handles to get out. Never understood that, I'd like to push to get out once I've washed my hands!
- GoodbyeMrChips 5y ago> Here in the UK a lot of bathrooms in pubs Wow! I've never known a pub with a 'bathroom'. Whist those in the USA use euphemisms such has 'bathroom' (mate, where is the bath?) or 'restroom' (I don't need a rest, I need a shit), here it is perfectly acceptable to ask the butler in Buckingham palace where the toilet is, or the bog for that matter. :-)
- marbletiles 5y agoThose doors are often on corridors. You don’t want them unexpectedly opening at speed into passing non-bathroom traffic. Conversely, people approaching the door from the inside will be further away as they have their hand out in readiness to pull, will expect the door to open — it’s generally lower risk.
- aqme28 5y agoUsually that's because the door is in the hallway and you don't want doors swinging out unexpectedly into people walking through a trafficked area.
- KineticLensman 5y agoInside the bathroom itself, the doors on individual stalls usually open inwards. One pragmatic advantage of this approach is that if the door opens while you are seated, you can push it closed without getting up. Or requiring help from someone else outside. This also drives the use of push-in-pull-out handles.
- egypturnash 5y agoOne major disadvantage of this approach is that if you are coming in with a bulky bag, or more (hauling carry-on luggage in an airport for instance), you have sharply limited space within to maneuver you and your stuff to a position where you can lift your skirts and do what you came here to do. Every time I go to a public bathroom with stall doors that open outward I am delighted.
- Knufferlbert 5y agoI like the affordability too, but it also does not take into account edge cases. Our office door has this metal plate, it pushes outside (I believe it is that way for fire safety reasons). If there is strong wind on the outside, the door has the habit of whipping around after pushing it a bit, leading to shattered glass once every year or so. Closing the door in strong wind also means grabbing it on the edge and pulling it, the wind kind of reverses on the last couple inches, I have no idea how that did not lead to broken fingers yet (you do it once, then you never try to close it again). I guess it's a failing to consider all use cases of the door, and the metal plate thing should only be used indoors.
- toomanyrichies 5y agoI spent about a year living in Chicago (also very windy and cold) and many office buildings use revolving doors for their exterior-facing entrances/exits. I suspect for the exact reason you mention. I can imagine what a PITA it would be to close a traditional door while battling icy-cold wind gusts.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- Nemi 5y agoI use a similar example when explaining when to document code and when to write it so it is easy to understand. When coding, if you find yourself saying “I need to document this”, you should ask first if it is easily understandable by someone with no knowledge of the code and possibly rewrite it first. Only once you have exhausted how it is written should you document it. Everyone always nods at this but often do something else in practice, so as an example I use the real-world example of glass doors that only open one way but have identical pull handles on both sides. Users always walk up and loudly and embarrassingly push/pull incorrectly. But instead of fixing the root problem, the people who put them in think, “I know, I will document them!” and put those plaques on each side that says “Push/Pull”. And true to nature, no one reads the signs and still loudly bangs the door the wrong way only then to look at the “documentation”.