(This new “Quick Hits” series of posts will be short ‘n sweet examples of good design. Debates welcome.)
Back when I worked corporate, all departments were silo’d off with tap- -to-enter badge reader pads. Other companies use keypads, like this Swedish office–where someone has thoughtfully anticipated that you may have a coffee cup in one hand and something occupying the other. Hence:
At my company, the badge readers were all mounted at a particular height. The “hack” everyone came up with was: You clipped your badge on your clothing at the right height, and performed a weird motion at the badge reader. Depending on your height, this resembled everything from a sideways hip-hump to a chest bump or shoulder-check. If you combined them all you could come up with an office dance routine.