One Action to Enter
Expectation. Routine entry shall require no more than one deliberate action by the resident, and confirmation signals shall not be perceptible beyond the immediate vicinity of the entry point.
Required.
- Routine entry requires no more than one deliberate action: one tap, one gesture, or the presentation of one token.
- No step in the entry sequence requires the resident to wait for a wireless connection to establish.
- Audible and visual confirmation signals are not perceptible from adjacent units or across common areas.
- When environmental conditions defeat the primary entry method — cold, rain, gloves — an alternative method requiring no more than one action is available.
Recommended.
- Entry requires no deliberate action. The building recognizes the authorized person and opens the entry point as they approach.
- The building distinguishes the authorized person from others in proximity.
- The entire path from building perimeter to unit door operates on a single recognition event.
In practice.
A resident returns from the grocery store, hands full. They approach the lobby door; it opens. The elevator is called and dispatched to their floor. They approach their unit door; it unlocks. At no point does the resident set down a bag, produce a device, or remove a glove. The corridor is silent.
A resident returns on a winter evening with gloved hands. They tap a physical token against the reader — one action — and the door opens.
A resident enters the lobby at 6 AM. The entry confirmation is a brief click from the lock mechanism. The resident in the adjacent ground-floor unit, asleep, does not hear it.
Failure modes.
Positioning precision. Entry requires one action — a phone tap — but the reader demands exact positioning: within two centimeters, at a specific angle. The single action becomes repeated attempts as the resident searches for the activation zone. One action in theory, five in practice.
Asymmetric failure volume. Successful entry is silent. Failed entry produces a loud denial tone audible down the corridor. A resident who mis-taps broadcasts their failure to neighbors. The system penalizes error with public noise.
Connection wait masquerading as entry. The resident holds their device to the reader. Nothing happens for three seconds while a wireless handshake completes. Then the lock opens. The action count is one, but the experience includes a pause that makes the resident doubt whether it worked — producing a second tap that triggers a denial tone for the double-read.
Test.
- Observe a resident performing routine entry. Count deliberate actions. Confirm: no more than one.
- Stand five meters from the entry point during a successful entry. Confirm: confirmation signal is not perceptible.
- Attempt entry wearing winter gloves. Confirm: a single-action method is available and functional.