Keyboard Builders' Digest / Inspiration
1,048 buttons to press
Tokyo based elevator button manufacturer Shimada Denki Seisakusho set up a wall of 1,048 buttons to press.
Published November 1, 2021
Shimada Denki Seisakusho, a Japanese elevator button factory founded in 1933, set up a wall of 1,048 buttons to press on at the end of the factory tour.
All the buttons are made in the company's 88 year history.
The company started organizing tours in 2018, but the 1,000 Buttons attraction was created in the summer of 2020, as a way to engage with users.
Being a B2B company, Shimada didn't really got feedback from users about its products, and the wall of buttons gave both manufacturer and users a chance to interaction.
The idea for the button wall was inspired by parents' experience with elevators. Apparently, many complained that they often had problems getting their kids to stop pressing the illuminated elevator buttons, and this inspired designers to create a special place where kids could push the buttons as much as they wanted. (source)
The impressive display became very popular. Understandably, the “Never Press” button is the most pressed.
Btw, the company seems to be a cool workplace, especially for mechanical keyboard addicts.
They are on Twitter: @shimax_hachioji
Website: https://www.shimada.cc/
Published on Mon 1st Nov 2021. Featured in KBD #50 (source).
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