I love travelling by train. I find it the least stressful way of travelling long distances and it often gives me the head space I need to think creatively. However, on a recent train journey I came across an brilliant example of design by committee that I wanted to share with you.
Most people know how to use doors. In fact, even my one year old has figured out how to use them. So, for the most part, they shouldn’t need any explanatory notices. I would go so far as to say that door design is a solved problem. 
However, designers sometimes make mistakes and when they do it is not uncommon for a note to be put up explaining how the door is operated. I’m sure we’ve all encountered a door that would have benefited from a “push” or a “pull” notice because the handle design didn’t make it obvious.
The toilet doors on this Irish Rail train however were totally ridiculous. They manage to use 14 signs, notices and labels to explain how to use their door!
- On the outside of the toilet there are 2 diagrams on the open and close buttons, 2 separate notices on fluorescent yellow stickers to explain these labels, and a sign to tell you if the toilet is occupied.
- On the inside of the toilet there are 3 more diagrams on the open, close & lock buttons and 4 more separate notices in 3 different styles to explain these labels.
- Then, as if that wasn’t enough, when you subsequently sit down on the toilet there is yet another notice straight in front of you reminding you that you might not have managed to lock the door.
Now all of this may seem a tad excessive, but not to Irish Rail because there is also a audible notice when you close and lock the door. So in total they use 14 signs, notices and labels to tell you how to use a door. I wonder how many people were involved in that decision, and did they ever even speak to each other?
What examples of signage gone mad have you come across?
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