We had the wedding cake style, and our auto pool cleaner head/hose used to get hung up on the steps all the time. Ask your pool company if one poses less of an issue.

Thanks for the advice Sammie!

I always hate to see things sticking out in the water at any level due to safety concerns of small swimmers not watching where they are going. For that reason, I would favor the non-bench option where steps are situated more closely in sync to one another. Most people can float around somewhat in the water and don't use benches that much anyway. Have you looked into San Juan fiberglass pools? There are pros and cons to gunite versus fiberglass, but if you only want something rather small such as it seems you have pictured, fiberglass is a great option and has some fabulous pre-formed designs that take the guesswork out of planning. Tanning ledges or beach entry shelves are really popular these days, which you can affordably obtain via fiberglass. Tuesday Pools is another innovative manufacturer to investigate along with the premium-quality San Juan.