Last night I decided I require consistency in my life. I came to this conclusion while attending the incredible Trans Siberian Orchestra concert at the Peoria Civic Center – which by the way is hands down the best rock concert you will ever attend – lights, pyro and high distortion shredding all at a reasonable price. I’ll probably have an article in the future about my 3rd time seeing them, but my awakening came from a trip to the restroom. If you recall my first journal entry, pedestrian traffic in the U.S. tends to follow the vehicle traffic which is rightside in, leftside out. So as expected there are two doors to the men’s bathroom and by habit directed myself to the right side. Just before entering I notice there are white letters painted on a yellow background that read “OUT”. At first I was a little startled since I didn’t see them at all from the other side of the hall – then again, white on bright yellow is not the most genius color selection. Having seen it though, it was very apparent I was about to go in the wrong side which has a tendency to get those waiting in line pretty irate (including yours truly if you have not already noticed my attention to line etiquette). So, I was left with a self-conscious diversion to the left side door and took my proper place in line.
Slowly this began nagging at me. What would compel an architect to design against the standard?
Was there an underlying reason that outweighed the likely annoyance just about everyone using that facility is going to face? One possibility that came to mind is over-all traffic flow in the arena. Generally more of a problem with the women’s restroom, but long lines to get in could impede overall traffic in the outer concourse of the arena. It would probably be beneficial to keep this barrier away from high traffic areas such as stairs and concession. Upon exiting, I took note of the surrounding area and really didn’t identify any unusually high traffic areas – at least any different from the IN door. Okay, now I am intrigued… so a little investigation was at hand. I decided to walk all the way around the arena and attempt to see if there was logic applied to this choice of door labeling. Upon arriving at the next set of restrooms (which happened to be women’s) it turned out to be the standard configuration – as in completely opposite the bathroom that was just left. To the next… women’s again, this time it was the same as the first bathroom or backwards to standard.
Okay, time to take a quick datum – 5 seconds later I watched a lady go in the right door (labeled OUT) only to come out annoyed before the door closed and proceed to the left door. So at least there is one other person who relied on instincts instead of a hard to read sign. Now it is officially a quest. I traversed all the way around the arena to look at each and every restroom. Some had the standard configuration, some had the backward configuration and then to drive me totally nuts, some didn’t have an IN or an OUT painted on the door which would probably be an interesting observation to see how the line formed without any guidance – unfortunately, the guitars were cranking up which was my cue to get back to my ridiculously uncomfortable seats in the arena’s lower bowl (stay tuned for that entry in the future).
As I was exiting the arena I spied the restrooms one last time and came to the conclusion that deep down inside, my preference is consistency. I could adapt to the reversed doors, but having to revert to deciphering course of actions on a case by case basis in one building grates on me. I might have to chalk this up to a characteristic flaw, but very interested in knowing if I am the only one in this category. Actually, I need to give one more observation that likely contributes to this feeling. In the building I spend a significant amount of my work day, there are bathrooms on the four sides of each floor. For a series of reasons (remodeling efforts impacted by cost containment initiatives etc.) there are unique differences in each of the bathrooms – one may have automatic urinals, but manual faucets, another may have automatic faucets, but manual urinals, and a couple of other combinations for the rest. For over 4 years, the one closest to my desk had automatic faucets – Pavlovian training sets in and you start sticking your hands in the sink and the water turns on. Depending on where a given meeting occurs I sometimes end up at another one on the floor and sure enough EVERY TIME I stick my hands in the sink only to realize after a few seconds two things a) that it is not automatic and b) the guy next to me thinks I am an idiot …. but the fun isn’t over for him since inevitably I take off towards the hand towels and soon realize that it isn’t going to turn off by itself either – yes, this happens at home also (the ‘a’ part, NOT the ‘b’ part of course).
Why do I need consistency…. likely the deep fear of doing something stupid and someone I know actually seeing it – although it may be a byproduct of being an IT architect – variability in code execution/design is a hellish nightmare where any error that is consistent can be solved quickly.
Did I mention it was a great concert!
Life Intrigued 