Lift Button Design

Why Lift Button Design Matters

Every lift has a lift button, and every one of us will have interacted with hundreds, if not thousands, of lift buttons in our lifetime. Lift button design matters, therefore, because we’ll all have had good and bad experiences of them. If the interaction is good, it won’t stick in our minds. A bad experience, though, will be remembered long after the lift journey is complete.

Tower Lifts designers understand the importance of lift button design, which is specific both to the function of the lift and the profile of the user. A button designed for a goods lift requires little in the way of aesthetics, whereas passenger lifts require a simple to use function, and a stylish design. Platform lifts require buttons to be positioned correctly, and care is needed to ensure they can be operated easily.

Examples of Bad Lift Button Design

Ever stood repeatedly pressing a lift button that appears not to be doing anything? That’s bad lift button design. Here’s a few more examples:

Up or Down? So, you’re on the ground floor and the lift is on floor 3, where you want to go. Do you press the up or down button?
Where’s My Floor? The layout of the buttons in the lift cabin makes it difficult to locate the button for the floor number you need.
No Info. There are two passenger lifts, one serving odd, and the other even floor numbers, but you’re left to work that out for yourself.

Good Design Guidelines

Tower Lifts designers have 6 guidelines which they follow when determining the look and feel of a lift button design:

Visibility. Passengers need to be able to see clearly what their options are. Buttons that are clearly labelled and lit allow passengers to decipher them quickly.
Simplicity. The less distraction around lift buttons the better. Cut down on the confusion and only give passengers the information they need.
Feedback. Once passengers press a button, how do they know that something is happening? Clear feedback, such as buttons lighting up, stops repeated pressing.
Inclusivity. A sight impaired passenger will need braille included on the lift button. Someone in a wheelchair will need to be able to reach all the buttons.
Emergency. If the lift breaks down, passengers shouldn’t have to make a decision about what to do. Give them one button saying ‘Help’.
Panel. The layout of the lift buttons should make sense. Don’t have the top floors at the bottom, or in a horizontal line. Help passengers to understand.

Working With Tower Lifts

The Tower Lifts team has been designing and installing bespoke passenger lifts across the UK for nearly two decades now. We regularly work on refurbished buildings, new apartment blocks, office buildings, schools, and commercial builds. In every case, our aim is to design the lift which meets the needs of the environment, and the passengers.

Would you like to talk to one of the Tower Lifts team about lift design? Call us today on 01525 601099

Tower Lifts carry out design and installation on a varied range of lifts throughout the UK including:

Domestic Lifts • Food Lifts • Bespoke Platform Lifts • Service Lifts • Platform Lifts • Goods Lifts • Scenic Lifts • Heavy Duty / Car Lifts • Passenger Lifts • Dumbwaiter Lifts • MRL Lifts • Fire lifts • Residential Lifts • low-Headroom Lift