Clips on just one side will always face down as the mechanism is heavier on that side, so to clip in you need to flip the pedal with your toe then quickly clip in before the pedal rolls back over. P.I.T.A.
Clip on both sides weighs more but works better. Platform around the clips means you can ride without clipping in, if you don't plan to do that, skip the platforms and just get (double sided) clips.
Personally I find SPD type pedals a bit hard to clip into as it's not always easy to "find" the clip mechanism with the bottom of your foot. Much prefer SPD-SL or lollipop pedals.