Rachel Plotnick

You know, I think that I know there were some experiments with elevators of taking buttons out of elevators and you just have this kind of central, you know, nervous system of the elevator where you just walk up to a kiosk and press your floor and then it would queue up the elevator for all the different people. And so you get in and you just be in this steel box with absolutely nothing inside.

You know, I think that I know there were some experiments with elevators of taking buttons out of elevators and you just have this kind of central, you know, nervous system of the elevator where you just walk up to a kiosk and press your floor and then it would queue up the elevator for all the different people. And so you get in and you just be in this steel box with absolutely nothing inside.

And you can probably guess what happened. People really started to freak out about that.

And you can probably guess what happened. People really started to freak out about that.

Yeah. Well, that's the placebo button. You know, we all want to feel like we're in control and there's that, that quality of agency that buttons have. Like I control this machine, not the other way around. So when you take away the buttons, people get really upset.

Yeah. Well, that's the placebo button. You know, we all want to feel like we're in control and there's that, that quality of agency that buttons have. Like I control this machine, not the other way around. So when you take away the buttons, people get really upset.

The majority of the time, the elevator is controlled by a computer that has a timer. And no matter what you do, it's going to, you know, go at that particular time. So most of the time, it's not going to do very much of anything.

The majority of the time, the elevator is controlled by a computer that has a timer. And no matter what you do, it's going to, you know, go at that particular time. So most of the time, it's not going to do very much of anything.

But people get angry when you take those away too. They just want to press that button.

But people get angry when you take those away too. They just want to press that button.

I wish I knew. Maybe Adam knows. But I do think, you know, that gets at this issue of, like, we could make most things automatic now if we want to. We don't really need to push buttons to do anything. You know, everything can be sensors and automatic, you know, timer this, timer that. We could live in a world where everything's just kind of auto-controlled for us. But, yeah, I don't know, Adam.

I wish I knew. Maybe Adam knows. But I do think, you know, that gets at this issue of, like, we could make most things automatic now if we want to. We don't really need to push buttons to do anything. You know, everything can be sensors and automatic, you know, timer this, timer that. We could live in a world where everything's just kind of auto-controlled for us. But, yeah, I don't know, Adam.

Maybe you've got a better answer on that.

Maybe you've got a better answer on that.

Brutal.

Brutal.

Well, you know, I think because we don't know how so many machines work and they are so impenetrable to us, we have to come up with this folklore and all this, you know, this local wisdom because we can't really see how the machine works or what makes it do what it does. And so it leads people to do a lot of wild and crazy things to try to figure out how to game the system.

Well, you know, I think because we don't know how so many machines work and they are so impenetrable to us, we have to come up with this folklore and all this, you know, this local wisdom because we can't really see how the machine works or what makes it do what it does. And so it leads people to do a lot of wild and crazy things to try to figure out how to game the system.

That's a great question. I think a lot of people are interested in that and wanting, you know, some kind of standardization or some kind of system for deciding when to put these things in which situations. And, you know, I'm not a UX expert, and I'm not an HCI expert. So I don't do much in the way of kind of saying this is right or wrong.

That's a great question. I think a lot of people are interested in that and wanting, you know, some kind of standardization or some kind of system for deciding when to put these things in which situations. And, you know, I'm not a UX expert, and I'm not an HCI expert. So I don't do much in the way of kind of saying this is right or wrong.