Bad Design
The design depicted inspired me to write this post about it. This is a wonderful example of poor design , for more reasons than one. When I first came across these doors, I was in a state of confusion. Did I really have to use my WPI ID card to get into the women’s bathroom? It wasn’t until further investigation that the case was proven to be very different. But at a first glance, that was my thought. The scanner that is for ID cards is placed much closer to the door leading to the women’s bathroom than it is to the door leading to the staircase, the door which it actually unlocks.
This second photo is intended to show the inefficiency and poor planning behind the placement of these two door so close to each other. Technically, both doors can open at the same time, however only one person can move through that area at one time. However, it is inefficient because it allows for only one door to be in use at a time.
Once you manage to figure out that the scanner open the door on the left, the next question that came to my mind was ,“ which was does the handle turn?” Well, that’s a trick question because the handle does not turn. You actually only have to pull the handle as opposed to what you would think when you see the type of handle on the door. Personally, when I think of a pull-door, I associate it with the handle depicted above, a design resembling that of a bar as opposed to a handle that is typically turned.
This design is a prime example of poor design. Those who would be in this area, are either looking to get upstairs to their rooms or looking for a restroom both of those people would be at least slightly frustrated and maybe even embarrassed if they ended up in the wrong place in this scenario. Given that WPI is mostly male, it is more likely than not, if someone is going to end up in the wrong place, it would be a male and he would certainly not feel comfy in that situation.
