Should I make my two steps have the same rise or keep one closer to a typical height?

Question

I have a 10-1/2" rise outside from my concrete patio to my deck. Should I put in one step at the halfway point or a shorter step with a 3" rise with the 2nd step being 7-1/2"?

Answer 1

Steps should always have uniform rise. In fact, codes require it (to within 3/8" maximum total variance per IIRC). Our brains expect that the step following the first will be about the same, and it's guaranteed to cause stumbling and worse if you do it lop-sided.

Splitting the height puts you square in the range given by accessibility guidelines. Be sure to account for differing tread/flooring thicknesses when you plan your stringers.

In this case, two 5-1/4" rises seems just fine. Three shorter rises would feel odd (and would be annoying for most users--we don't like to take many short steps as it feels like we're being made to dance our way up).

Answer 2

Make every single rise absolutely identical, period.

Video of people consistently tripping on NYC subway stairs which have a single non-uniform risen step

I would test to see if 2 x 5.25 inch rises feel more natural or 3 x 3.5

According to https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards?catid=0&id=314:

Stair riser heights shall be 7 inches (178 mm) maximum and 4 inches (102 mm) minimum. Stair tread depths shall be 11 inches (279 mm) minimum.

so it might not be a good idea to do 3 x 3.5

Answer 3

Consider 3 short but deep steps. You'll often find these on terraced public spaces.

i.e. something like a 3.3" rise but deep enough that you have to take a full step on the same step. I'm talking about a tread run of 24-36" or so.

This means that you step up, step over, step up, step over, step up to the deck surface. Of course, it takes a lot of horizontal space to do this, but it would provide a unique look if you can afford the space.