Buttons you pressed, but didn't know they never worked

February 12, 2010 by uphaa

A placebo button is a push-button that appears to do something, but actually has no effect, like a placebo. In other cases a control like a thermostat may not be connected.
Although non functional they can give the user an illusion of control. In some cases the button may have been functional, but may have failed or been disabled during installation or maintenance. Only in relatively rare cases will the button have been deliberately designed to do nothing.
In many cases, a button may not appear to do something, but in fact cause behavior that is not immediately apparent; this can give the appearance of it being a placebo button.

Walk buttons at pedestrian crossings

A pedestrian crossing or crosswalk is a designated point on a road at which some means are employed to assist pedestrians wishing to cross
By the late 1980s, most  walk buttons in New York City have been dectivated yet people push them anyhow, either in ignorance, out of habit, or in the off chance the buttons did work.
In some areas such as New York City are actually placebo buttons designed to give pedestrians an illusion of control while the crossing signal continues its operation as programmed link

Dummy thermostats

The secret’s out—many thermostats just trick building occupants into feeling more comfortable and in control. Here’s why they’re so effective.
Many large office buildings also have dummy thermostats to give office workers the illusion of control. Some even go as far as installing white-noise generators to mimic the hum of fans after the HVAC system is shut off.
“We had an employee that always complained of being hot,” recalls Greg Perakes, an HVACR instructor in Tennessee. “Our solution was to install a pneumatic thermostat. We ran the main air line to it inside of an enclosed I-beam. Then we just attached a short piece of tubing to the branch outlet (terminating inside the I-beam without being attached to any valves, etc.).”

The worker “could adjust her own temperature whenever she felt the need,” Perakes says, “thus enabling her to work more and complain less. When she heard the hissing air coming from inside the I-beam, she felt in control. We never heard another word about the situation from her again. Case solved.” link

Close button in elevators

That Door Close button you’re always pushing? Yeah, it doesn’t work.Why?. Most elevators built or installed since the early 1990s don’t have close buttons that work, unless you have a fireman’s key. People do push them anyhow, because the fact that the door eventually closes reinforces their belief that the button works.
The button is only enabled in emergency situations with a key held by an authority.
link