I’m not sure why elevators seem to be magnets for confusing interfaces (although I probably could take some guesses). To add another example to the list, my friend Scott recently sent me this picture:
How great is that button? Apparently it was on a wall all by itself, with nothing at all to indicate what happens when it is pushed. It reminds me of something from a kids’ fantasy novel—a magical, solitary button tempting you with unknown consequences.
Does it call the fire department? Does it ring the alarm? Does it send the elevator to the ground floor and lock it there? All three? Maybe it whisks you back in time or teleports you to a nearby park. Does it matter what it does? Perhaps all you truly need to know is when to press it.
I personally think it would be helpful to know what it does, in case that behavior might be useful in some circumstance other than a fire. For example, is it safe to press the fire button if there’s an earthquake? But maybe it’s just that my curiosity has gotten the best of me. If I had been in that elevator I would have been severely tempted to push that button JUST to find out what it does.
What do you think—is it fine to display only when to use the button, or should they also let people know what it does?
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Bella Martin (@kbellamartin) responded to me on twitter with this brilliant illustration of the psychology behind why this button bugs me: http://wearscience.com/design/button/ Apparently a youth science museum has a button in their elevator that is DESIGNED to make kids curious enough to press it.
“Hypothesis: Any button placed over ten feet up and so tantalizingly labeled must have a profoundly interesting effect if pressed. With no apparent documentation about its function there appears only one way to find out…”
If you design a mission critical button or interface that is the same as an exhibit on temptation, curiosity and discovery, I think you might have missed the mark a little.