Elevator buttons suck
People make mistakes. To err is human, right? Most of the technology that we interact with was built with this concept in mind. Light switches go on and off, cars have accelerators and brake pedals, computers have the indispensible ‘undo’ command. So why is it that elevators require us to live with our first choice?
People make mistakes. To err is human, right? Most of the technology that we interact with was built with this concept in mind. Light switches go on and off, cars have accelerators and brake pedals, computers have the indispensable ‘undo’ command. So why is it that elevators require us to live with our first choice?
If – like me – you are a parent of small children, you have lived with this frustration more than a few times. Our children’s daycare can only be accessed by elevator, one of downtown living’s compromises. If you include the basement level, there are 5 floors in total. A round trip, starting at the top and stopping each floor and then coming back up can take 3-4 minutes. So when I’m already running late to pick up the kids and I rush into the elevator to see all the buttons lit up like Christmas tree, I tend to get a little crazy. Yes, I should probably just take a breath and count to ten or something, but like a lot of other daycares, ours charges late parents by the minute, which likely explains my state of mind.
I have, rarely, come across this problem in other buildings with a far greater number of floors. Apparently some people think it’s funny. The result is excruciating. If I’m the only one in the elevator the cursing goes unnoticed, but when others are aboard the combined seething is tangible.
Why is it that elevator buttons exist outside of the logic of nearly every other device? Once activated, a request to go to certain floor must be carried out. There is no second chance, no undo, no cancel feature. I figured there had to be a very good reason for this, especially considering the ubiquity of the, er, feature.
To find out, I pinged a friend who just happens to work for an elevator installation and maintenance company in Ottawa.
"I have never heard of this option when ordering a car operating panel. There is a call cancel button we have purchased for a client before. Works in a similar fashion but the button is separate and designated "call cancel". There are many manufacturing companies that might offer this option but from the suppliers we use, it is not an option. My guess as to why they don’t do it.. probably because if you can’t read a button, you shouldn’t be by yourself in an elevator or because if a child realizes the button will flash on and off every time he pushes it, it might be more of a toy for him/her? [I've had] lots of questions before…. this is a first. and NO, you cannot get out of the safety hatch inside the elevator to the roof!!!! Only in the movies!!"
Yes, he insinuated that I can’t read.
Thus I remain unsatisfied. Frustrated by the seemingly obvious lack of thought that went into designing the controls of an essential form of transportation. Moreover, I’m surprised that after decades of development, no elevator company has ever included this – or patented it – for surely it would be a differentiator in the market.
Ok, it’s your turn. Am I missing the one glaringly evident reason why you can’t just push an elevator button again to cancel your choice and turn the thing off?
Update:
August 2, 2007: I’m not the only one. Steve Jobs hates elevator buttons too.
Actually, the floors of the building I work in are only accessable by elevator. It does have a stairwell, but all doors are locked from the inside on every floor. Thus, you can go down the stairs, but you can't come up.
When you turn a computer on it boots up and you can't stop it without turning the machine off. You can change what boots but not until "you have reached your destination".
But on point, it is likely the children problem again – too many play with the buttons because their parents do not control them. And you may have your floor properly pushed and some child unknown to you cancels your floor. (Korean children are MUCH better behaved than North American)
Also it could be that someone in a REAL hurry cancels all the stops before his floor.
As it is, it is a pain in the neck but people will start complaining that their floor was cancelled. Will not win!!!
I was living in Japan for a year and it's funny, because this is one of those interesting differences. There, if after you've pushed the button, you push it again two times quickly, it cancels. Unfortunately back here in the Western world, that just isn't one of life's little perks. Does it make sense? No, but neither do a lot of things.
i live in winnipeg manitoba canada and every elevator i have ever been in here if you push the button you can push it again to cancel it so maybe you are just retarded lol
Not a bad idea, though you may wind up being equally frustrated in crowded elevators where you get in and press 6, then later someone else gets in and presses 6, thereby cancelling the stop for both of you.
Something else worthy of consideration in my opinion, would be standardizing the door open and door close buttons. Make the door open button Red and make the door close button Green. Reason ? When you try to stop an elevator door from closing to let someone else on, (it is more ecologically friendly to send one elevator with 2 people than to send two elevators with one person each), by the time you find which button to push it is almost always too late.
Everybody's making this big of a deal over ELEVATOR BUTTONS. Thats what gets me. Like everything else in this world, the elevators arent perfect. They have their flaws. Sometimes those flaws arent bad things.
Dude,
And what's to stop an A**H*** from getting on the elevator and just canceling all the floor selections so they can get to their floor first. I'd say your problem is the fact a daycare is in your building. The kids who are leaving before you go to get your kid are pushing all the buttons.
It's not the elevators that need to change but the user.
How do you know it's the kids pressing the buttons, maybe it the daycare trying to scam the parent in to some extra cash, using the elevator.
iT DEPENDS IN WHAT MOOD I MAY BE IN AT THE TIME BUT i ONCE IN AWHILE LIGHT ALL THE BUTTONS UP JUST TO PUSH THE BUTTONS ON PEOPLE LIKE YOU . HAVE A NICE DAY !
As someone who programs industrial automated systems, I can vouch that almost any elevator system could be modified quite easily to add a cancel feature. In fact, because these programs are a template used over and over with minor modification (# of floors etc.), this would add almost no cost. They could easily have a standalone cancel button which must be held down while pressing the corresponding floor to cancel… thus preventing accidental missed floors.
Not all elevators have lights on their buttons anyways LOL. And if the light goes out then you might not know if you pushed the button or not. Better to stop at an extra floor or two than miss your floor completely. Dork.
Of course, it's not just kids that push all the buttons. There are people like me who knowing that others will get "a little crazy" and the "result is excruciating" for them. So with regard to, "apparently some people think it's funny," yes, yes they do!
*giggles*
as a further comment to add to the others if the daycare is only accessible from the elevator what do they do for fire escapes? buttons being pushed may be an inconvenience but what the heck maybe you would have to slow down and smell the roses and if you cant most doctors would say your stress level needs attention have a great day and go push some buttons of your own
i want to ask Christopher why taking the elevator would make more money for the day care ?
My question was meant for Steve I suppose.Try to work on those lines seperating each comment please .
Wow! I have been in the elevator industry 50 years as of next year ,in all aspects. As a designer, mechanic, serviceman, installer, etc. I am amazed at the comments that are made here where people are "certain" that their thoughts on "how elevators work" are correct! Winnipeg says "Push a button once and it registers a call ….push it again and it resets and deregisters the call. Never happen! Cancelling a call registered will create problems. Once a call in the elevator has been pressed, the elevator knows to start up and where to travel to….which floor and which direction. If a call could be cancelled while the elevator is operating, that is traveling between floors, it would then not know where it is traveling to and would just stop….between floors! NOT GOOD! Too scary plus a great opportunity for muggers and other pervs! The only problem here is impatience in our "immediate gratification" society. Be patient. Using the DOOR CLOSE button available on most elevators will reduce the time in the car if a number of buttons have been pressed. All calls DO NOT CANCEL when the elevator goes to the bottom floor! I betya a number of the respondees to this article also believe that if an elevator is falling all you have to do is just time it right and JUMP in the air just before the elevator hits the bottom and you will be OK! For those people I have some Marshland in Florida for sale..please call!
It amazes me that so many people are misinformed about elevators! Perhaps I should write a regular column and answer questions!! HHHMMMM…business opportunity? Best regards to all!
LE Taylor: According to Simon's article, his daycare charges late parents by the minute. This is how they would get more money by making the elevator slow down.
Here's an idea: Keep a parent at home to raise the children. You'll feel less stressed, and raise better children.
Unless you're a single parent, don't tell me it isn't possible. It just take a desire to go without other luxuries. and your kids should be the highest priority
How much fuss about one article! First of all, NO – you cannot always use stairs as it is case in my building where only every fifth floor can be accessed from outside (and they do not start from first floor on – want to go in and start guessing which door can you actually open – if any?). Some witty comments people wrote here are indeed not that witty. Also, for the people talking about childred and parents who should control them… Obviously you guys who wrote this do not have kids. Well, neither do I. But I do have wery well behaved nephews. However, sometimes, their quick hands go and press buttons before you even have a chance to react. Kids are kids, why to blame parents for that? A few lit buttons are not that harmful, even though that can be quite annoying. There are worse things in life – keep your nerves strong.
I'm teaching English in South Korea and thankfully, many of the elevators here do have a cancel option. You simply press the button again and it will de-select that floor. I would like to think such a simple "option" would be found worldwide.