I hate Swedish doors

When I was in undergrad, minoring in computer science, I took a class on user interface design. One of the foundational concepts in developing a good user interface is making it intuitive, and one of the best ways to make something intuitive is to embed subtle clues for what to do. The fundamental example that they used was doors. You can write "push" or "pull" on a door, but you should accompany that with a door handle that indicates whether you should push on it or pull on it.

Sweden never took that class. Architects don't seem to get the basic concept that if there is a big handle to grab onto, people will want to pull; and if there is a big panel to push on, people will want to push.

So take this quick quiz: push or pull?

The correct answers are below. (to read the text, hold your computer upside down and facing a mirror. Then look at THAT reflected off the inside of a spoon.)

1. Pull 2. Push 3. Pull 4. Pull

Notice that #1, 3, and (although you can't see it) 4 are the same on both sides and that none of the doors say either push or pull (even in Swedish).

Something you may not have noticed (but it's true!) is that in public buildings in America, the outside doors open out (in fact, all doors in the exit path must open out, must be able to be unlocked from inside without a key [ideally with one of those push-bars that automatically unlocks], must be lighted, and must have an exit sign above it.) This is to comply with OSHA regulations; if the building is going down in a blazing inferno, the stampede of people rushing out of the building must be able to exit the building safely. An inward-opening door could be blocked by the throng of people pushing to get out, trapping them all inside. (This is not a problem in residence buildings, where the concern is usually getting IN out of the cold/whatever as quickly as possible, which is why the door on your house/apartment probably opens in. Because OSHA only applies to places of employment, the desire for convenience usually wins out.)

OSHA guidelines have been very subtly affecting the way you approach doors in public buildings. It is completely subliminal...I'm sure you've never thought about it before. But that government-mandated consistency (along with helpful visual clues like push-bars) has slowly trained you to be able to open the doors you come across smoothly and without conscious thought.

That's all fine and good, until you move to a country without that same consistency. Then, all that training backfires on you. I have found myself constantly trying to do the wrong thing with doors. Half the time it works the way I expect it to, but I never notice those. The times that I notice are all the times that I try to do the wrong thing. It's like when you step on an escalator that isn't moving, or mis-time the stairs and take one-too-many steps. There is that momentary sense of disorientation as you flip your attention to something that is normally automatic.

So say what you want about Swedish bureacracy, efficiency, and design... until they get their doors figured out, I'll remain a little bit suspicious.