Bad elevator UI. How to confuse a line of ants.

What’s wrong with this picture? (Click for larger.) A good example of a bad user interface.

An elevator’s panel functions not just as a control mechanism but also as a visual representation of what’s happening — very important in an environment where the user is cut off from visual cues.

The confusing part in this case is that the numbers are going in the opposite direction as the physical floors — i.e., the 1st floor is on the bottom in real life. Now, this might not be so much of a problem, but in this particular instance you can actually enter the building from the first floor or the third floor, as it’s built into a hillside.

So imagine entering the building on what is called the third floor, entering an elevator, and trying to figure out what to do when you’re presented with the above panel. :)

From a /. discussion today:

How to confuse a line of ants.

1. Locate ants. This part is important.
2. Lick a finger. Normally yours, but hey if you talk somebody into it, go forth and conquer.
3. Draw the moistened digit (which sounds way worse than it is) perpendicularly across the ant trail.
4. Watch in amusement as the ants wander around in a confused crowd, trying to regain the trail.
5. Have a brief existential crisis regarding if the Universe wipes a moistened digit across humanity from time to time.