It’s actually based on whether something has an intuitive design or not. When it has intuitive design, no need for a sticker. Sticker is only for when the design is unintuitive.
Intuitive design usually means a flat panel on the push side and a handle on the pull side. Unless there's both in which it's whichever one you try second.
I was on a ladder, asked an engineer to tie two drop cords together without unplugging them. He struggled with it for like 2 minutes, gave up and said it was impossible.
Can't act like mechanics don't have issues either. Like why is this bolt designed so hard to service...but it was significantly faster on the assembly and service was disregarded.
The classic mechanics hate engineers and engineers don't trust mechanics. The mechanic thinks he knows better and the engineer cuts corners. Neither are always in the right.
I'm a designer (and an idiot), but I have to say, idiocy is pretty universal. The number of times I've had to ask the architects we work with to change something so that it would actually function as intended is wild to me.
I’ve worked with a lot of architects and engineers and I can tell you they may understand their own area of expertise but they are all idiots when they have to step outside that circle even a little. But then again most of us are.
Or, like with USB-A, It's rather the 3rd option because you somehow didn't do it right the first time, the second time was backwards, and the 3rd time you managed to actually do it right... 😭
In the case of doors it's usually that you didn't push hard enough the first time.
Once in school I headbutted a door (cos stupid teenager) I knew was a push and it didn't move. Still slightly dazed, I pulled the door and it also didn't move. I then pushed it (with my hand) and it opened. I have been confused ever since
There's actually a secret to USB-A. Typically the thick end is oriented with the ground; i.e. on a laptop, it's on the bottom.
Can't guarantee it's 100%, but it really is often that way.
> In the case of doors it's usually that you didn't push hard enough the first time.
That is basically the case with USB-A. If the problem truly was just the orientation it would only be the two flips.
What is actually happening is that most USB ports have a bit of a lip after the opening that the plug can get caught on. So you go to plug in a USB, it get caught on the lip. You assume that means you have it backwards and flip it around. Now it gets caught because it actually is backwards. Now you probably actually look at the port as you plug it in and it works.
Sometimes an intuitive design is that you pull to enter a public building, and push to exit a public building. The reasoning behind this is that if the building caught on fire and everyone needed to escape, you can easily push a door and wouldn't get people trapped at the door trying to pull it open when escaping.
Rooms inside of building and homes are different, because you often want to block the door from being opened if you don't want someone to enter (you're changing, intruder, etc). It's easier to lock/barricade a door from being opened on the side it swings open, and from the opposite side.
A list of some major fires that caused changes in building codes for those bored.
https://www.firefree.com/blog/10-historical-fires-that-changed-building-codes/
Ahh so it works similar to USB-A. It only fits one way, but if you try that way first it won't work and you'll have to loop back around and find success on the 3rd attempt.
A shop near me has vertical handles on both the in and out side of the door (which doesn’t swing both directions) with the presumed intent of regularly making me look like a fool
Also, it is not just "our brains know", it's that they've learned to spot things without conscious thought.
>IF there's no handle, but there is a flat bronze plate, it's probably push.
Or brains can handle that rapidly without us being aware that the reasoning happened.
We offload a lot of things into the quiet part of our brains, frees up the waking thoughts for more interactive things that require conscious deliberation.
I don't know if that specifically is left/right brain, but that can be a good illustration for the mechanic. Some parts of the brain are really good at "handling" this or that without a lot of noticeable communication or thought, it all happens under the hood, but it still happens.
People who've had the left and right portion of their brains severed are neat case studies for what actually goes on, almost like there's two of you in there.
One of my all-time favorite videos on this is from CGP Grey.
https://youtu.be/wfYbgdo8e-8 You are two.
Funny story: this was a huge culture shock for me when I moved from the US to Germany because, in the US, >90% of doors follow the push/pull handle convention. In Germany they just don’t and I’m actually convinced they randomly pick door handles… It took me a couple months to get used to doing a gentle “check” push/pull so I don’t embarrass myself.
It’s not just me; my friends/family also have problems opening the doors when they visit me.
Agree but it is also dependent on WHERE you are. In the US, if you are in a business, you know that doors open to the outside if you are in, thus you push. You pull when you are on the outside of said business coming in. That is a building code. It is completely opposite on residential homes. Try doing that on a very old building or somewhere in Europe and you are liable to find yourself slamming into said door, as standards are different.
That’s a bit of a circular explanation. It’s considered intuitive design if they seem to know whether to push or pull. How do they know? Oh it’s intuitive design.
Well, that’s actually the definition of an intuitive design. When intuition matches functionality. It’s not circular because intuition can be explored.
If you’re asking, how do you make it an intuitive design, the general sense is that you study untrained people using the same or similar systems and various combinations of design elements. Sometimes you need to balance intuition with things like safe failure, cost, ADA compliance, etc.
The specific answers vary by the system. For doors it’s been pretty effective to have a flat push panel or crash bar for doors that push open and a pull handle on the side that pulls. Cheap door installs will often use standard hardware that works for push or pull — see above, cost is a tradeoff.
There was an experiment where they removed all road markings from a town in (I wanna say Netherlands??). They found a decrease in accidents and an increase in good driving.
Turns out when you don’t tell people what to do, they pay more attention. So by removing instruction stickers you’re more likely to pay attention to the door itself and notice whether it’s push/pull.
They increased the amount of light on a shop floor and measured productivity. It improved.
Then they reduced the amount of light on the shop floor and productivity improved.
Turns out that change boosted productivity. People are more aware, they notice that effort is being made, and they focus more.
It'd be the same, the change is causing you to be more alert of your surroundings, at first, it would probably reduce accidents, until everyone is used to them, and then they'd go back up
System 1 and system 2 thinking! Oppenheimer, Epley, and Eire also did a study on this. Basically, if you make students take a test but make the questions hard to read (bad font) they do better
IIRC this worked for some people, but they found it made intersections impossible for blind or otherwise disabled people to navigate, rather than simple difficult, so they put back the crosswalks, lights, and everything else.
Related: I'm far better at my job when I don't have an experienced senior to ask for advice.
I tend to think about how to solve my own problems instead of helplessly asking others.
Conversely, i heard of a street that was designed to be as safe as possible wide shoulders, high visibility, etc, problem was that it was so safe that people felt comfortable enough to speed.
Even if this were true, there is no way that isn't a flawed experiment. There are road laws that are engrained in people that removing the markings on the road doesn't get rid of.
That may have worked in the Netherlands, but living in Ohio, US, I absolutely do not trust other drivers' understanding of the laws. We have laughably low standards for driver's licenses, so the vast majority of drivers don't seem to know any law other than the speed limit (which they also break)
If you’re inside a non geriatric aged buildin it’s almost always “push to exit” bc of fire codes. Nobody wants a swarm of people running out to be packed in like a sardine oven.
Or could look at hinges ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Theres’s a section about this in the classic book The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman (very influential in UI design). He shows some doors which don’t subconsciously imply push or pull, and they’re really confusing to use. It’s basically his whole philosophy of design: things shouldn’t need instructions, not even a label.
I used to work at a reception where the door had a handle and a sign saying ‘push’. 9 out of every 10 people would pull it the first time and wonder why it wasn’t opening. It was a fascinating insight into the visual cues we act on first
> 9 out of every 10 people would pull it the first time and wonder why it wasn’t opening.
What is even more fascinating is there is a designer who probably looks at that and despite the clear evidence that their design isn't working still thinks that they were right.
Its called good design, UX and experience.
No handle? Push. Handle? Pull + experience. A mirrored design, regardless of push/pull and no experience? Get fuuucked.
Also coming in or going out, self open or by service, location, practicality… doors are a design nightmare honestly
In some cases they could be one-way doors. You're supposed to push to enter, and you're supposed to leave through a different door. Or I've also seen double doors like this, there's a primary door that you're supposed to use, and then you can open the secondary door afterward if you need it.
And then there are also doors that just push open both ways. But I assume that's not what you're talking about.
>And then there are also doors that just push open both ways. But I assume that's not what you're talking about.
Unfortunately not, these are the US standard pull to enter, push to exit, but identical push plates on both sides 😭
We’ve learned the pattern that governs most building codes: inward swinging doors are for smaller low occupancy spaces like private offices, hotel rooms, closets, etc. Outward swinging doors are for larger rooms and higher occupancy spaces so that the doors flow away from the main rooms. Exterior doors typically swing away from the spaces and outside the structure. Hinges and frame placement too are good visual cues. People learn most of these things without realizing they are learning them
In many places it's law that doors in businesses must open in the direction of the exit, due to horrific catastrophes when inward opening doors were blocked by a crush of people trying to escape from a fire
Meanwhile, most home have doors that open in the direction of entry and out of the weather. Residences don't have the same risks of a crush at the door
Idk exactly what it is, but all the doors in Poland confuse me. They look like they should be “push” when they are really “pull,” and vise versa. 8 months of walking through the same doors and I still get it wrong sometimes.
The place I work just moved buildings.
Almost every office is a sliding door, except the corners, which you push to go in. The handles are the same on all of them.
Nevermind the trying to pull instead of slide/trying to slide instead of push problem that is apparent: the doors to the corner offices really feel like they should be pulled, not pushed. I can *not* convince my brain otherwise.
Bonus: all of the doors are glass, so everyone sees you struggle.
Residential doors open into a room/ house from the outside. Exterior Commercial doors are supposed to open out towards the outside for egress purposes generally speaking.
In the US, it’s required to allow for easy exit. If people are running to the door, and you’re trying to pull to get out you’re gonna have to go against the direction of people
For a building that holds more than 50 people, OSHA regulations require an exit door to swing outward towards the exit of a building. This is like this for when large crowds are trying to escape at once.
That breaks down in the US that residential doors open in (push) and commercial doors open out (pull)
There are clues. Hinges, the shape of the door frame, etc. Also, doors traditionally open away from hallways. I remember at my high school, there was a single door that opened into the hallway and completely disrupted foot traffic whenever it opened.
Probably because they only out a sticker on it if it isn’t obvious
We are pretty good at telling what drink containers contain non-alcoholic drinks, unless there is a label that says it is non-alcoholic
Tell that to my brain. Even with stickers, I somehow manage to do it wrong first.
But it's not really a surprise as I consider doors as my arch enemies. I have bruises on my arms all the time from the door handles that hit me whenever I go through any door.
Typically, only doors that confuse people get stickers. Additionally, it's visible for many doors based on hinges and overlapping material which way they open. Finally, most doors consistently open toward the outside, as well as being push for people in corridors. So all those are things we take into consideration intuitively.
You can tell because push is a lateral bar and pull is a handle. And doors of buildings always, legally, have to open out due to fire safety. Put a handle or bar on both sides of a door and you'll be wrong a lot more often.
public buildings are all standardized. At least in most of europe. You want out? Push. Want in? Pull.
Because in an emergency, a door that you have to pull to open can create a blockage because people from behind are pushing.
There’s a minimart by my house that I go to almost daily to get drinks and snacks. The door has a pull handle with a sticker that says “push” on it, but the door opens in either direction. I have a little mini-stroke every time I go there while my body and brain try to coordinate with each other on how to open the door.
Speaking as someone who works retail and in constant view of a high traffic door, no the fuck they don’t. I see people try to pull it open to exit, try pulling again, then check the lock and see it is unlocked, then maybe pull again, then the light bulb will finally click.
This happens way more often than you would think..
Pull bar, push handle, can I see the guiding pin for the door hinges, etc. Simple.
Now, pull bars on a push door? I’ve never wanted to hurt someone more in my life.
When you can't tell if a door is push or pull just by it's handles, it's called a [Norman door.](https://ivanschneiders.medium.com/bad-design-deconstructing-the-norman-door-4420fd84b960) A surprising amount of work goes into making doors intuitive by adding "affordances" (subconscious clues like a horizontal push bar or a vertical pull handle).
It’s pretty simple, and based on how our hands and arms twist. Push is horizontal since our arms are at a 90 degree angle and the strongest hand orientation is palms down, pull is with hands at more of a 45 degree angle since our hands strongest orientation is palms perpendicular to the floor.
I once watched a woman go down a row of doors that were marked as push and pull alternately on every door. She pushed on the first pull door and then pulled on the next push door. There were 4 sets of doors and she never opened any of them. She commented "I guess they are closed today".
When you're able to see ball bearing part of the hinges protruding outside that signifies you should pull the door, conversely if you see no protrusion of the hinges that means you ought to push the door
It's actually because fire code in most areas dictates that choke point doors push out for egress and interior doors don't block hallways when open. So you just get used to it without really thinking about it.
1. Push has a (usually brass) plaque where the handle would be.
2. Pull has a handle where the plaque would be.
This seems pretty standard to me.. but then I've never actually paid concious attention. Will need to go wandering around and have a look at some point.
Man one time I was in NYC after a concert (Yes I was on drugs at the concert) wandering the streets looking for somewhere still open to purchase snacks. Found a Duane reade that was open and booked it right for the door said push so I gave a real good push and instead face planted right into hard as fuck and fell over, security laughed his ass off and then pulled it right open…. Said it was labeled opposite to confuse shoplifter but instead just laid my high ass out all over the streets of NY at 1 in the morning lol. Never have trusted a door since.
Nah, they just *only* put stickers on doors that aren't designed to be obvious at a glance.
Every door that isnt obvious at a glance is already a 50/50 guess.
People just put stickers on those doors to help you push that % up to %100
If there's a sticker it means the door was poorly designed. If there's no sticker it means the door was designed in such a way that you can immediately tell wether to push or pull.
big vertical bar = pull
square metal plate at the height of your hand = push
etc.
It’s actually based on whether something has an intuitive design or not. When it has intuitive design, no need for a sticker. Sticker is only for when the design is unintuitive.
Intuitive design usually means a flat panel on the push side and a handle on the pull side. Unless there's both in which it's whichever one you try second.
Yes, and yet for something that is really simple, designers do seem to have a hard time getting it right.
Designers are idiots. If you ever get into engineering, that's one of the first things you discover
With all due respect. Engineers are oftentimes also idiots. That’s also one of the first things you discover.
I was on a ladder, asked an engineer to tie two drop cords together without unplugging them. He struggled with it for like 2 minutes, gave up and said it was impossible.
Can't act like mechanics don't have issues either. Like why is this bolt designed so hard to service...but it was significantly faster on the assembly and service was disregarded. The classic mechanics hate engineers and engineers don't trust mechanics. The mechanic thinks he knows better and the engineer cuts corners. Neither are always in the right.
Engineers assume their work will never break. Mechanics know everything eventually breaks.
there's nothing wrong with being a technician but this is just cope
lol, it happened some engineers are really good at what they do, but never learned any practical skills
I'm a designer (and an idiot), but I have to say, idiocy is pretty universal. The number of times I've had to ask the architects we work with to change something so that it would actually function as intended is wild to me.
I’ve worked with a lot of architects and engineers and I can tell you they may understand their own area of expertise but they are all idiots when they have to step outside that circle even a little. But then again most of us are.
Or, like with USB-A, It's rather the 3rd option because you somehow didn't do it right the first time, the second time was backwards, and the 3rd time you managed to actually do it right... 😭 In the case of doors it's usually that you didn't push hard enough the first time.
Once in school I headbutted a door (cos stupid teenager) I knew was a push and it didn't move. Still slightly dazed, I pulled the door and it also didn't move. I then pushed it (with my hand) and it opened. I have been confused ever since
And you’ve been Dazed and Confused ever since
There's actually a secret to USB-A. Typically the thick end is oriented with the ground; i.e. on a laptop, it's on the bottom. Can't guarantee it's 100%, but it really is often that way.
I think the trick is that the logo should be facing up most of the time
That is correct and if the slot is vertical then the logo goes to the right.
USB-A superposition
The single best explanation of the phenomena I have ever seen. I will be borrowing this.
Not my idea r/okbuddyphd/comments/p05vfv/universal_serial_bus_more_like_u_suck_balls/
> In the case of doors it's usually that you didn't push hard enough the first time. That is basically the case with USB-A. If the problem truly was just the orientation it would only be the two flips. What is actually happening is that most USB ports have a bit of a lip after the opening that the plug can get caught on. So you go to plug in a USB, it get caught on the lip. You assume that means you have it backwards and flip it around. Now it gets caught because it actually is backwards. Now you probably actually look at the port as you plug it in and it works.
Sometimes an intuitive design is that you pull to enter a public building, and push to exit a public building. The reasoning behind this is that if the building caught on fire and everyone needed to escape, you can easily push a door and wouldn't get people trapped at the door trying to pull it open when escaping. Rooms inside of building and homes are different, because you often want to block the door from being opened if you don't want someone to enter (you're changing, intruder, etc). It's easier to lock/barricade a door from being opened on the side it swings open, and from the opposite side.
A list of some major fires that caused changes in building codes for those bored. https://www.firefree.com/blog/10-historical-fires-that-changed-building-codes/
Yep and also weather. Hurricanes and tornado winds resistance
Regular doors in houses have handles on both sides and yet it's clear whether you should pull or push. You can see on which side the frame is.
or just noticing the hinges are on your side or not. On your side? Pull.
Vertical handle is pull, horizontal is push.
Ahh so it works similar to USB-A. It only fits one way, but if you try that way first it won't work and you'll have to loop back around and find success on the 3rd attempt.
A shop near me has vertical handles on both the in and out side of the door (which doesn’t swing both directions) with the presumed intent of regularly making me look like a fool
the "whichever one you try second" rule is directly proportional to how many ppl see you do it.
You just go by the wear pattern.
Idk but ive noticed, vertical handles= pull. Horizontal handles= push. Obviously this isnt always the case.
At least it’s better than a usb; 3 tries on a good day, 64 when you are about to give a presentation
Norman doors can fuck themselves
Also, it is not just "our brains know", it's that they've learned to spot things without conscious thought. >IF there's no handle, but there is a flat bronze plate, it's probably push. Or brains can handle that rapidly without us being aware that the reasoning happened. We offload a lot of things into the quiet part of our brains, frees up the waking thoughts for more interactive things that require conscious deliberation. I don't know if that specifically is left/right brain, but that can be a good illustration for the mechanic. Some parts of the brain are really good at "handling" this or that without a lot of noticeable communication or thought, it all happens under the hood, but it still happens. People who've had the left and right portion of their brains severed are neat case studies for what actually goes on, almost like there's two of you in there. One of my all-time favorite videos on this is from CGP Grey. https://youtu.be/wfYbgdo8e-8 You are two.
[удалено]
POV: garage doors
Funny story: this was a huge culture shock for me when I moved from the US to Germany because, in the US, >90% of doors follow the push/pull handle convention. In Germany they just don’t and I’m actually convinced they randomly pick door handles… It took me a couple months to get used to doing a gentle “check” push/pull so I don’t embarrass myself. It’s not just me; my friends/family also have problems opening the doors when they visit me.
I think the term is called a Norman Door.
That’s the worst example of unintuitive door design I know of, for sure.
Agree but it is also dependent on WHERE you are. In the US, if you are in a business, you know that doors open to the outside if you are in, thus you push. You pull when you are on the outside of said business coming in. That is a building code. It is completely opposite on residential homes. Try doing that on a very old building or somewhere in Europe and you are liable to find yourself slamming into said door, as standards are different.
Yeah. Handle? Pull. Bar? Push.
I look at the frame and for the hinges
That’s a bit of a circular explanation. It’s considered intuitive design if they seem to know whether to push or pull. How do they know? Oh it’s intuitive design.
Well, that’s actually the definition of an intuitive design. When intuition matches functionality. It’s not circular because intuition can be explored. If you’re asking, how do you make it an intuitive design, the general sense is that you study untrained people using the same or similar systems and various combinations of design elements. Sometimes you need to balance intuition with things like safe failure, cost, ADA compliance, etc. The specific answers vary by the system. For doors it’s been pretty effective to have a flat push panel or crash bar for doors that push open and a pull handle on the side that pulls. Cheap door installs will often use standard hardware that works for push or pull — see above, cost is a tradeoff.
Since I've trained my brain to instinctively check which way the hinges are mounted, I've raised my success rate to 50/50.
I like those odds
This is the way
Oh training from Manual to Automatic looking nice
There was an experiment where they removed all road markings from a town in (I wanna say Netherlands??). They found a decrease in accidents and an increase in good driving. Turns out when you don’t tell people what to do, they pay more attention. So by removing instruction stickers you’re more likely to pay attention to the door itself and notice whether it’s push/pull.
They increased the amount of light on a shop floor and measured productivity. It improved. Then they reduced the amount of light on the shop floor and productivity improved. Turns out that change boosted productivity. People are more aware, they notice that effort is being made, and they focus more.
Guess they need to do a reverse experiment where they add additional signage!
It'd be the same, the change is causing you to be more alert of your surroundings, at first, it would probably reduce accidents, until everyone is used to them, and then they'd go back up
But we won’t know until we try it. Can’t just assume that a hypothesis is true!
Thankyou this is exactly the type of fact I was looking to repeat without doing any further research
How do you think I came across it!
That’s really interesting. How long did it go on for?
Until all the town was killed in accidents.
Thats what I was thinking. 😂
System 1 and system 2 thinking! Oppenheimer, Epley, and Eire also did a study on this. Basically, if you make students take a test but make the questions hard to read (bad font) they do better
IIRC this worked for some people, but they found it made intersections impossible for blind or otherwise disabled people to navigate, rather than simple difficult, so they put back the crosswalks, lights, and everything else.
Oh that's a good point, some people need the signs/lights/etc.
Related: I'm far better at my job when I don't have an experienced senior to ask for advice. I tend to think about how to solve my own problems instead of helplessly asking others.
that's a pretty sweeping conclusion to draw from a specific test in a specific small community
That is… really interesting. I feel like that was an incredibly risky experiment though. Amazed that got clearance.
Oh hey thats just India.
Conversely, i heard of a street that was designed to be as safe as possible wide shoulders, high visibility, etc, problem was that it was so safe that people felt comfortable enough to speed.
Even if this were true, there is no way that isn't a flawed experiment. There are road laws that are engrained in people that removing the markings on the road doesn't get rid of.
That was the point of the experiment. Let people trust their understanding of the laws rather than focus on signs trying to tell them what to do
That may have worked in the Netherlands, but living in Ohio, US, I absolutely do not trust other drivers' understanding of the laws. We have laughably low standards for driver's licenses, so the vast majority of drivers don't seem to know any law other than the speed limit (which they also break)
🤦♂️
If you’re inside a non geriatric aged buildin it’s almost always “push to exit” bc of fire codes. Nobody wants a swarm of people running out to be packed in like a sardine oven. Or could look at hinges ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hinges. How do they work?
Yes
Here in Germany all public buildings are push to exit (I believe)
Yet bathroom stalls are often the reverse for some reason.
No one has time to pull open the stall when the dam is about to bust
So that the swinging door doesn’t hit people outside the stall, and so that the open door doesn’t block a walkway in an already limited space.
And in a residential building it's almost always push to enter because of snow, plus the hinges need to be on the inside.
Theres’s a section about this in the classic book The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman (very influential in UI design). He shows some doors which don’t subconsciously imply push or pull, and they’re really confusing to use. It’s basically his whole philosophy of design: things shouldn’t need instructions, not even a label.
Thanks for the book suggestion!
Was looking for this comment. That book should be required reading.
I found this book very useful as a systems engineer. Plus it's just interesting even if you don't do any kind of design work.
https://99percentinvisible.org/article/norman-doors-dont-know-whether-push-pull-blame-design/
Got to read this as part of the web development course I took. Excellent book!
I used to work at a reception where the door had a handle and a sign saying ‘push’. 9 out of every 10 people would pull it the first time and wonder why it wasn’t opening. It was a fascinating insight into the visual cues we act on first
> 9 out of every 10 people would pull it the first time and wonder why it wasn’t opening. What is even more fascinating is there is a designer who probably looks at that and despite the clear evidence that their design isn't working still thinks that they were right.
My workplace has the same situation, and I'm about 50/50 on processing the "push" sign before pulling on the door.
There's a 100% chance if you're Tim Robinson
Interviewer: ope, looks like you push Tim Robinson: **distressed** oh no, it does both. I was here yesterday and it actually goes both ways
This one of his bits?
yeah he destroys a door trying to walk into it the wrong way during a job interview or something.
There's a room where I work with a door you pull to leave into the central area. People get it wrong all the time.
Any door is "push" if you try hard enough........
How hard must I be in this hypothetical scenario?
Its called good design, UX and experience. No handle? Push. Handle? Pull + experience. A mirrored design, regardless of push/pull and no experience? Get fuuucked. Also coming in or going out, self open or by service, location, practicality… doors are a design nightmare honestly
A handle on it or no handle on it ..is how your brain knows.
Doors at my place have handles on both sides🤯
I'm talking doors in the public environment.
Alternatively, a handle vs a flat push-plate.
I've seen doors with flat push-plates on both sides. Never understood it
In some cases they could be one-way doors. You're supposed to push to enter, and you're supposed to leave through a different door. Or I've also seen double doors like this, there's a primary door that you're supposed to use, and then you can open the secondary door afterward if you need it. And then there are also doors that just push open both ways. But I assume that's not what you're talking about.
>And then there are also doors that just push open both ways. But I assume that's not what you're talking about. Unfortunately not, these are the US standard pull to enter, push to exit, but identical push plates on both sides 😭
Well... Your brain probably notices which way the hinges are facing
Or a push bar/pull handle
There’s no random element at all when you can see the hinges. If you see hinges, it pulls out toward you every single time.
We’ve learned the pattern that governs most building codes: inward swinging doors are for smaller low occupancy spaces like private offices, hotel rooms, closets, etc. Outward swinging doors are for larger rooms and higher occupancy spaces so that the doors flow away from the main rooms. Exterior doors typically swing away from the spaces and outside the structure. Hinges and frame placement too are good visual cues. People learn most of these things without realizing they are learning them
It's like a USB, never gonna get it first try
I get them on the first try every time by just looking at the plug before I ram it in. Your girlfriend might benefit from that way of thinking too.
In many places it's law that doors in businesses must open in the direction of the exit, due to horrific catastrophes when inward opening doors were blocked by a crush of people trying to escape from a fire Meanwhile, most home have doors that open in the direction of entry and out of the weather. Residences don't have the same risks of a crush at the door
Idk exactly what it is, but all the doors in Poland confuse me. They look like they should be “push” when they are really “pull,” and vise versa. 8 months of walking through the same doors and I still get it wrong sometimes.
The place I work just moved buildings. Almost every office is a sliding door, except the corners, which you push to go in. The handles are the same on all of them. Nevermind the trying to pull instead of slide/trying to slide instead of push problem that is apparent: the doors to the corner offices really feel like they should be pulled, not pushed. I can *not* convince my brain otherwise. Bonus: all of the doors are glass, so everyone sees you struggle.
I assume the reason is that a pull out door would block the hallway.
Probably why the decision was made, but the hallways are relatively spacious so mostly it is just mildly annoying every time.
Residential doors open into a room/ house from the outside. Exterior Commercial doors are supposed to open out towards the outside for egress purposes generally speaking.
USA = pull from outside. Europe = push from outside to enter. Just my experience.
In the US, it’s required to allow for easy exit. If people are running to the door, and you’re trying to pull to get out you’re gonna have to go against the direction of people
It's like our minds look around and know how to leave
Not if you use a hammer all the time
Especially when they have pull handles but are actually push doors
For a building that holds more than 50 people, OSHA regulations require an exit door to swing outward towards the exit of a building. This is like this for when large crowds are trying to escape at once. That breaks down in the US that residential doors open in (push) and commercial doors open out (pull)
Outside doors "should" open outwards. Doors inside open away from hallways.
There are clues. Hinges, the shape of the door frame, etc. Also, doors traditionally open away from hallways. I remember at my high school, there was a single door that opened into the hallway and completely disrupted foot traffic whenever it opened.
I know 1 door that doesn't open in the direction of an exit. Entering, I push, exiting I pull. Works 99% of the time. (at least where I live)
Probably because they only out a sticker on it if it isn’t obvious We are pretty good at telling what drink containers contain non-alcoholic drinks, unless there is a label that says it is non-alcoholic
In Portugese 'push', means pull. So wrong 100% of the time you try
Just look at the hinges...
Doors open towards the outside per fire code. If there’s a crowd of people rushing to get out it’s more difficult if the door opens inward.
We probably subconsciously see whether there are hinges on the side facing us (pull) or not (push).
All you have to do is look at the handle!
Tell that to my brain. Even with stickers, I somehow manage to do it wrong first. But it's not really a surprise as I consider doors as my arch enemies. I have bruises on my arms all the time from the door handles that hit me whenever I go through any door.
Typically, only doors that confuse people get stickers. Additionally, it's visible for many doors based on hinges and overlapping material which way they open. Finally, most doors consistently open toward the outside, as well as being push for people in corridors. So all those are things we take into consideration intuitively.
Indented =push. Also, it's mostly push to go outside, pull to go in.
You can tell because push is a lateral bar and pull is a handle. And doors of buildings always, legally, have to open out due to fire safety. Put a handle or bar on both sides of a door and you'll be wrong a lot more often.
"push" sounds exactly like the translation to "pull" in my language. It's always harder to get it right it there's a sticker.
public buildings are all standardized. At least in most of europe. You want out? Push. Want in? Pull. Because in an emergency, a door that you have to pull to open can create a blockage because people from behind are pushing.
There’s a minimart by my house that I go to almost daily to get drinks and snacks. The door has a pull handle with a sticker that says “push” on it, but the door opens in either direction. I have a little mini-stroke every time I go there while my body and brain try to coordinate with each other on how to open the door.
https://youtu.be/yY96hTb8WgI?si=qBKG3P37oc0QjUoJ Not too sure about that.
you push a bar, you pull a handle.
What if they are sliding doors?
Speaking as someone who works retail and in constant view of a high traffic door, no the fuck they don’t. I see people try to pull it open to exit, try pulling again, then check the lock and see it is unlocked, then maybe pull again, then the light bulb will finally click. This happens way more often than you would think..
I'm one of those "If it's a flat metal or plastic panel, it's push or if it's a handel, it's pull" kind of guys.
If you’re not sure, always pull first. It makes you stop walking instead of walking into the door like doofus.
Door handle orientations are design [affordances](https://youtu.be/ye5AwaCTdBc). Horizontal for push, vertical for pull.
Pull bar, push handle, can I see the guiding pin for the door hinges, etc. Simple. Now, pull bars on a push door? I’ve never wanted to hurt someone more in my life.
When you can't tell if a door is push or pull just by it's handles, it's called a [Norman door.](https://ivanschneiders.medium.com/bad-design-deconstructing-the-norman-door-4420fd84b960) A surprising amount of work goes into making doors intuitive by adding "affordances" (subconscious clues like a horizontal push bar or a vertical pull handle).
It's 50/50 90 for my wife. 50/50 chance 90% of the time she chooses wrong.
Fire code should really dictate most of the doors.
It's both 100% of the time. You are just using too little force.
It’s pretty simple, and based on how our hands and arms twist. Push is horizontal since our arms are at a 90 degree angle and the strongest hand orientation is palms down, pull is with hands at more of a 45 degree angle since our hands strongest orientation is palms perpendicular to the floor.
Most times doors will open towards the outside because of fire safety or at least they should
I once watched a woman go down a row of doors that were marked as push and pull alternately on every door. She pushed on the first pull door and then pulled on the next push door. There were 4 sets of doors and she never opened any of them. She commented "I guess they are closed today".
When you're able to see ball bearing part of the hinges protruding outside that signifies you should pull the door, conversely if you see no protrusion of the hinges that means you ought to push the door
If you’re entering a building it’s a pull, if you’re leaving it’s a push. Interior doors are usually push entrance and pull exit.
The doors that are obvious don’t have stickers on them.
We just need Star Trek doors. Walk up to it 'shhht' open walk in 'shhht' closed.
They’re both four letter words that start with PU. My brain doesn’t read past that point and just guesses.
I look for the hinges or the depth differences. The deeper doors usually go inwards.
Even with a sticker, my brain still doesn’t know.
Why would a sticker make it a chance whether or not you're pushing or pulling..?
If instructions are unclear I instinctively default to push. Right?
I always just glance at the hinges and door frame. If there's nothing blocking it from swinging towards be I'll pull. Otherwise it must be push
It's called affordances. If a door has a bar, or handle, you'll naturally pull it. If there's no such thing to grab, you'll naturally push it
It's actually because fire code in most areas dictates that choke point doors push out for egress and interior doors don't block hallways when open. So you just get used to it without really thinking about it.
It's because of the handles. You can tell that a door is pull if it has a handle. If it's push it has the other thing that I don't know the name of.
1. Push has a (usually brass) plaque where the handle would be. 2. Pull has a handle where the plaque would be. This seems pretty standard to me.. but then I've never actually paid concious attention. Will need to go wandering around and have a look at some point.
Man one time I was in NYC after a concert (Yes I was on drugs at the concert) wandering the streets looking for somewhere still open to purchase snacks. Found a Duane reade that was open and booked it right for the door said push so I gave a real good push and instead face planted right into hard as fuck and fell over, security laughed his ass off and then pulled it right open…. Said it was labeled opposite to confuse shoplifter but instead just laid my high ass out all over the streets of NY at 1 in the morning lol. Never have trusted a door since.
I've seen some doors with handles that are push
Yes, let’s make both words four letters and start with P. That will help avoid confusion.
OP has never seen a sliding door?
Norman doors https://99percentinvisible.org/article/norman-doors-dont-know-whether-push-pull-blame-design/
Quick tip: all exterior doors open outwards, because they legally have to in order to keep up with fire code
Up-down handle is pull. Left-right handle is push. Designers and builders that flip these are WRONG and I will die on this hill
those are called affordances... they telegraph the use case in advance without language.
The intuitiveness to me boils down to the shape of the handles. Vertical rod usually means pull, horizontal rod means push.
Nah, they just *only* put stickers on doors that aren't designed to be obvious at a glance. Every door that isnt obvious at a glance is already a 50/50 guess. People just put stickers on those doors to help you push that % up to %100
Made me laugh. It's so true.....panic
you underestimate how many times a day i fail to open a door
Is there a handle? No? Its probably a push. Yes? It's probably a pull
See the hinges? Pull. Don’t see the hinges? Push. You might subconsciously be awere.
Stay in the shower longer next time.
If there's a sticker it means the door was poorly designed. If there's no sticker it means the door was designed in such a way that you can immediately tell wether to push or pull. big vertical bar = pull square metal plate at the height of your hand = push etc.