Getting a paper towel shouldn't require a numbered list...
I guess the idea of this is to reduce usage (it doesn't work - the machine doesn't dispense a long enough sheet on the first try, so you end up just repeating the procedure) but all it really does is add one extra tidbit of annoyance and cognitive load to everyone who ever uses it. There are definitely designs out there that do manage to do so, with less obstruction of the user. A good example of one design goal completely dominating the larger purpose of a device.
Tom Karlo's homepage since 1994, weblog since 2000.
Just a followup - when I happened to go back the next week, the dispenser had been ripped entirely out of the wall. I'm not sure if that was because of people trying to pull the lever down without pushing the button (I know I did that the first time) or because they intended to replace it.