#placebo button

Placebo Buttons

Some public buttons do absolutely nothing but give people an illusion of control. For example: could you imagine an elevator without a close button? According to a 2008 New Yorker article, the close button is non-functional in many elevators built since the 1990s. The elevators will close regardless of whether or not people press the button, but if they press it, they believe they caused the doors to close. 

After computer-controlled traffic signals became the norm, many cities deactivated pedestrian crosswalk buttons, but removing them was too much hassle. In Austin, for example, 77% of these buttons are essentially mechanical placebos. People still believe in their own agency-- they press the button and expect the light to change as a result. 

The same goes for office thermostats. Dummy thermostats have been used for decades to keep people from constantly adjusting the temperature and costing companies money. In fact, some companies even install noise generators to create hissing sounds once you turn the knob. People turn the knobs, hear the air conditioning sounds, and feel in control of their environment. They'll stop complaining. They expect to feel cooler, and so often they do. 

Bottom line:

Think about how problems could be fixed by changing perception, rather than changing reality.