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Comment by account42 | Hacker News Reader

> American people want to have the gut feeling when riding a lift, especially an express lift in those high buildings. In difference in Asian countries the lift ride must be smooth as possible. They don't like to have the feeling of riding a lift at all. In Europe it is something in between

How representative are these stated preferences actually of the population. I'd imagine that the individual preferences vary greatly from person to person and also change with age.

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It might not be a strict "preference", more of an expectation how things should be based on previous experience. Like, if you're used to an elevator with a bit of a jerk, an elevator taking you there just as fast but smoother might feel not as fast.

Yet it is a captive market. If I am in a building, I only have access to a singular type of elevator. Why not always give the smoothest ride possible unless it is $0.12 cheaper for the installer, so everyone has to suffer forever.

You could just as well ask "why not give the fastest ride possible so everyone saves time?"

An elevator that feels significantly different than the other elevators in the city probably results in more complaints to building management/maintenance about either "the elevator is too jerky!" or "the elevator is too slow!"

I'm an American.

My thoughts are that I'd prefer to spend as little time as possible in an elevator and would rather spend that time doing other things.

If I don't feel the elevator moving, then it's moving too slowly and wasting my time.

They're the preferences of the buying managers.

If I were buying, I'd ask for a sensation of horizontal force when going up/down and see what they'd come up with.

Corkscrew lift.

I imagine a spinning lift would be easier.

Finally an elevator that will force other occupants to respect my personal space.

We’re all up against the wall during this ascent!

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