Instructions:
- Say the building has 5 floors, the elevator with have a button for each floor. Along with the floor number buttons, the elevator will also have a close door button, an open-door button, and an emergency call button.
- If someone pushes the up button on the first floor, the elevator will go to the first floor to retrieve the person. The elevator doors will open for about 15 seconds and give the person time to press the floor button of their choice.
- If the person were to hit the close door button before within the 15 seconds, the elevator doors would begin to close sooner. If a person is in the elevator doorway, the elevator doors will not close on them and continue to stay open, regardless of the close door button. If the open-door button is pressed within the 15 seconds, the elevator door will stay open about 5 seconds longer. While the elevator is in motion, the open-door button will be useless.
- If elevator is going up, the elevator will bypass the floors that have pressed the down button. Unless a person in the elevator going up wishes to go on said floor.
- If elevator is going down, the elevator will bypass the floors that have pressed the up button. Unless a person in the elevator down wishes to go on said floor.
Counterintuitive Fall 2024 
Well, Indigo, I’ve tried to encourage everybody to choose INSTRUCTIONS to the Elevator over EXPLANATIONS for human passengers, but you’ve chosen to write for a human audience, so let’s start there.
I will gladly evaluate and grade you on the basis of that choice without penalty, but you’ll have to be just as clear and precise with your human readers as your classmates are being with the Elevator.
• Say the building has 5 floors, the elevator with have a button for each floor.
—3 Buttons per floor, you mean.
—On the 3rd floor, in the hallway, there will be an Up Call Button and a Down Call Button.
—Inside the elevator there will also be a Floor 3 Destination Button.
• Along with the floor number buttons, the elevator will also have a close door button, an open-door button, and an emergency call button.
—OK, so now we’re talking about INSIDE the elevator.
—Already it should be clear how careful and precise your descriptions need to be.
• If someone pushes the up button on the first floor, the elevator will go to the first floor to retrieve the person. The elevator doors will open for about 15 seconds and give the person time to press the floor button of their choice.
—Yep. So far you’re describing the very simple situation of just one prospective passenger calling the elevator to go Up from the first floor.
—More precisely, since you’re explaining the wait time, the elevator won’t know that a passenger has entered unless you’ve installed some sensors you haven’t told us about.
—So, technically, the elevator isn’t “waiting” for anybody to do anything.
—After 15 seconds, presumably, the doors will close whether anybody got on or not.
—AND it will do nothing further until EITHER a passenger touches a Destination Floor Button OTHER than 1, OR someone on another floor presses a Call Button.
—If the passenger on the first floor has NOT pressed a Destination Button, the elevator will proceed to wherever it’s been called.
• If the person were to hit the close door button before within the 15 seconds, the elevator doors would begin to close sooner. If a person is in the elevator doorway, the elevator doors will not close on them and continue to stay open, regardless of the close door button. If the open-door button is pressed within the 15 seconds, the elevator door will stay open about 5 seconds longer. While the elevator is in motion, the open-door button will be useless.
—I like this.
—If your audience is human readers here, they might appreciate some logic. Why would anybody press the Close Door button? Why would they press the Open Door button? Why won’t the doors close when someone is in the doorway? What sort of sensor is in play here? Can I press on the leading edge of the door to stop it from closing? Can I pass my hand through the doorway to break a sensor circuit and reverse the direction of the door? Both directions, or just to keep it from closing?
• If elevator is going up, the elevator will bypass the floors that have pressed the down button. Unless a person in the elevator going up wishes to go on said floor.
If elevator is going down, the elevator will bypass the floors that have pressed the up button. Unless a person in the elevator down wishes to go on said floor.
—There’s probably a better sequence for these descriptions. Break them up, maybe, into more than one set.
—First, an elevator going up WILL STOP at every floor for which a Destination Button has been pressed, right?
—But it will ignore Down Call Buttons until it’s reached the highest floor to which it’s been summoned or sent? Something like that?
Since you’ve chosen to provide explanations for a Human audience, you have WAAAYYYY more responsibilities for instruction. For example:
1. When I press a Call Button, does it light?
2. When does it go out?
3. When I enter the elevator, will any Destination buttons be lit? Which ones? Will I learn anything about the route from the button lights?
4. If I’m on my way UP, will the elevator stop for anyone who has pressed a Down Call Button?
5. If I get off at my Destination floor, what will the elevator do?
6. If I don’t get off at my Destination floor, what will the elevator do?
7. Does it make sense to get onto an elevator headed Up if I want to go Down? Presumably it will eventually go to my destination floor, but . . . what will be different about waiting until the elevator turns around and comes back Down to collect me?
Etc.
The ELEVATOR needs a few very clear INSTRUCTIONS.
People need a very different set of EXPLANATIONS.
Helpful?
Graded.
Revision are always encouraged, particularly on this assignment, which you can continue to revise until you’re happy with the results.
Regrades, too, are always available following substantial improvements.
Should you revise, your Beloved Professor will not automatically notice.
So, if you desire a Regrade, put your post back into Feedback Please and let me know you’ve earned fresh consideration.
I’ll decide whether the improvements are substantial.
(Try not to make things worse. 🙂 )