David Little

There’s an alarm button positioned on the wall behind the shallow end at my local swimming pool. The button is there, I presume, because there are never any life guards on duty. So, if you’re drowning, please make sure you get out of the pool and press the button to alert someone to the fact.

But, what I like about it the most is the fact that positioned next to it, held on by a fraying piece of sellotape, is a sign on A4 paper that gives you instructions on how to use it: something along the lines of (capitals as per original):

PANIC ALARM BUTTON.

PRESS THE BUTTON ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BOX

I love the fact that should you find yourself in a state of panic, you need to carefully read some instructions (which may or may not still be pinned to the wall) to locate the exact whereabouts of the button you need to press to set off the alarm.

Actually, I think all panic buttons should look like Ren and Stimpy’s history eraser button:

Tags: UI, blog-post, non-plone, usability.