Assignment 0: Bad Design

The bad design I researched today was poorly designed door handles (Ref: http://www.baddesigns.com/doors.html). Poorly designed door handles leave the user confused as to whether to push or pull in order to open the door. This particular story describes how two people were trapped between two doors because of this confusion. The experience caused the two some nervousness of being trapped. In the end, they learned one handle was for pulling and the other was for pushing, although they looked exactly same. This inconsistency is part of the bad design.

I can relate to what the two felt when they couldn't open the doors, as I have also experienced poorly designed handles myself. I have learned that vertical handles that look like "pull" handles are also commonly used for "push" handles. In general, I think if a door looks like it could be opened in either direction, then it should be designed that way.