For some reason me and doors don't get along. I probably pull a door when it should be pushed or push a door when it should be pulled, about 3 out of 4 times AT LEAST.
Ok, I really hope it's not just me. I see a flat panel where a handle should be on a door and to me that means push right? These doors I have no problem with. If I see a door with a vertical handle, I assume I need to pull and oftentimes I'm right. But then there are the few where you're supposed to PUSH. Why in the world would you have a handle if you need to push the door? It just boggles my mind.
How about doors with knobs? Thats like a 50/50 chance right there. Do you turn and pull or turn and push? My first instinct is to pull, so I do, but then I'm always wrong and then people behind me snicker. Ugh...
So now I'm really confused. I spoke to someone at the fire department in Ontario and they told me that all doors should be PULL to go into an establishment and PUSH to leave, for fire safety purposes. Makes sense -- if you're in a rush to leave a building on fire, you'd just have to push the door to get out. But there are just too many stores, doctor's offices, buildings, schools, etc out there that just don't follow this rule. I'm not sure if Vancouver has the same rules as they do in Ontario to uphold fire safety.
These interactions with doors should be second nature. If you see a panel, push. If you see a handle, pull. I'm still not sure what to do about door knobs though.
3 comments:
That would take someone what, 10 seconds to look at the door hinge and figure out if they should push or pull? Shouldn't this type of everyday action be an instantaneous reaction to a door? It should be an action that does not involve conscious thought...
Or put a little sign on the handle (which you intuitively look at anyway as you approach the door) that says "PUSH" or "PULL".
Have we come to the point where we need to tell users what to do when they get to a door via a sign? Good design should be intuitive -- without requiring the user to make a conscious effort.
Post a Comment