White box door handle by ploos van amstel dirk from netherlands

We are living in an era in which many products are offered to us as so called black boxes, while the complexity of those products increases. The paradoxical situation here is that –partly due to development of (graphical) user interfaces- the end user is more and more comfortable and easy with using products, while in the same time these end users are less known with the real, often complex mechanisms that lies behind these products.
Seen from this perspective it seems that end users are more and more alienating from products nowadays.

Time for demystification

This work is about demystification. The most striking of this door handle design is that a very important mechanism of the product, which made it possible to set the door handle in its initial position (and stays in a closed position) after opening it, is made visible.
The most important part to achieve this mechanism is the spring. In this design the spring, that usually stays ‘behind close doors’, is processed in the door handle it self, external to the door. This makes this door handle a ‘white box door handle’ and makes the user think again.
Making the functionality visible has another function as well. The spring connects the door/rose and the actual door handle. This allows the rose and door handle to be one integral product.

In the end, it is my opinion making the functionality visible is increasing the appearance of the design. By using robust, industrial, but light materials (lightweight steel and rubber) and forms (see drawings) in an inconspicuous way, there arises a nice appearance.

The door handle meets all dimension standards.