Why did they design it like that?

[johnnychips]

I am sure we have all come across examples of things that annoy us through bad design that make them irritating or impractical. And we think, well, didn’t they test them? Or what did they think would happen?

Some examples:
- those stainless steel teapots that always dribble
- beef burgers that have to be held by a skewer so you can’t possibly pick them up
- corned beef cans. Why does this one product have a key, leaving a surface that can literally lascerate you?
- most ‘childproof’ things that lead me to fill the swear box trying to open them
- Liege Guillemins station, which looks magnificent but is a horrible wind tunnel, even worse in the rain, so everyone has to cram downstairs until the train comes.

Have you got any suggestions?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Most toasters are too small to evenly toast a slice from a standard loaf, and many are also too narrow to comfortably take a teacake* or bagel.

"Easy Open" and "Resealable" food packaging: in most cases neither claim holds up to scrutiny.

*=also known as a bap, a barm, a cob and several other names depending which village you're in.

 

[alxndr]

Most toasters are too small to evenly toast a slice from a standard loaf, and many are also too narrow to comfortably take a teacake* or bagel.

At least you have more chance with a standard English loaf than a Scottish plain loaf. Plain bread is typically thinner but taller and has no chance of fitting in the average toaster.

"Easy Open" and "Resealable" food packaging: in most cases neither claim holds up to scrutiny.

They also seem to invariably stack the slices of ham/chicken/cheese in the wrong order. The top slice is furthest from the opening point so you have to peel the whole film off to get to it instead of being able to leave the majority of the film firmly stuck down until you get towards the end of the pack.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

They also seem to invariably stack the slices of ham/chicken/cheese in the wrong order. The top slice is furthest from the opening point so you have to peel the whole film off to get to it instead of being able to leave the majority of the film firmly stuck down until you get towards the end of the pack.

Luckily because the "easy open" bit never works, you can simply take a knife to the correct end of the stack of slices.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Filled out a few surveys where 1 was 'most satisfied' and 5 was 'least satisfied'.

Boxes where the tick option is second and the cross is first also throw me.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Doors with handles that you can pull, but only open away from you

 

[DelW]

On toasters - why don't any of them (AFAIK) have a simple 1 slice / 2 slice switch? Over its lifetime my toaster has wasted almost 50% of the electricity it's used (I do occasionally toast two slices).

 

[SteveM70]

Bedside lamps with the on/off switch on the cord rather than the lamp itself, so you have to fiddle round in the dark feeling for it

Cars where the pedals aren’t directly in front of the driving seat, but instead slightly offset

Microwave ovens all have doors hinged on the left meaning of the only logical place in your kitchen for it is on the right hand end of the work surface it’s fiddly to use

Hotels built / refitted since the advent of the mobile phone that don’t have sockets next to the bed

Public toilets with hand operated flush buttons. Mmmmmmm, yes, I’d love to put my fingers in a load of strangers’ germs

The financial system

 

[Farigiraf]

The new TGV. What's with the nose?

 

[Trainguy34]

Public toilets with hand operated flush buttons. Mmmmmmm, yes, I’d love to put my fingers in a load of strangers’ germs

I'd rather that then a sensor one that's really oversensitive so it detects anyone sitting down on the toilet.
Toilet paper comes in handy for pressing that button... If there is any that is!

 

[py_megapixel]

On toasters - why don't any of them (AFAIK) have a simple 1 slice / 2 slice switch? Over its lifetime my toaster has wasted almost 50% of the electricity it's used (I do occasionally toast two slices).

I used to have one that did. It's not all that common though. It's a good idea - as long as you remember which slot is the "1 slice", if you choose the wrong one it obviously doesn't work.

Microwave ovens all have doors hinged on the left meaning of the only logical place in your kitchen for it is on the right hand end of the work surface it’s fiddly to use

This does mean, though, that if you arrange your kitchen appliances to put the microwave on the left, it will also suit any new microwave you buy in the future.

Public toilets with hand operated flush buttons. Mmmmmmm, yes, I’d love to put my fingers in a load of strangers’ germs

In most cases the next thing you do will be to wash your hands anyway - especially if you're concerned about hygiene - so this doesn't really worry me.

 

[dangie]

Public wash basins where you pull up the tap lever for water, jet of water rushes out, then soaks the front of your trousers making it look like you’ve ****** yourself…..

 

[Pinza-C55]

Dimplex electric fires where the heat is pushed out over the selector switch so that you roast your fingers changing it.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Hand dryers mounted so far up the wall that the drips either run up your sleeve or get blown onto the front of your light-coloured trousers (Doncaster station)

 

[Lucan]

Stanley knives where the button to withdraw the blade into the handle is exactly where you put your thumb when pressing down to cut. Makes me wonder whether the guys who design this stuff ever try using it themselves.

 

[gg1]

My current work laptop where not only is the power button part of the keyboard, it's not even on the end. It's sandwiched between the delete and F12/page down keys, every so often I accidentally send it to sleep when I intend to hit delete.

Metal handled saucepans

Shampoo/shower gel bottle where it's impossible to remove the lid to get the last dregs out of an almost empty bottle by balancing one on top of another.

 

[dangie]

Jars e.g. jam, which shape is so designed that it’s impossible to get all the contents out without a suitably shaped implement designed by NASA……

 

[Sun Chariot]

Dual Clutch Transmission, DCT, in normal cars. A gearbox designed for ultra quick changes. Great for track racing.

Utterly frustrating in everyday urban driving with frequent stops / varying speeds. In my car, the darned DCT gearbox "hunts" and it spends more time in a wrong gear - too low for the speed - and not in an optimum gear.

Aha, you say, put it into manual and drive it that way. Indeed - I use the manual option and paddle shifters. But the ruddy thing is determined to override my selected gear(s) with its own choices, invariably not a gear I want to be in.

I won't buy a DCT fitted car again. Good old torque converter auto for me, next time.

Jars e.g. jam, which shape is so designed that it’s impossible to get all the contents out without a suitably shaped implement designed by NASA……

Finger tips - it's the only way!

 

[Harpers Tate]

On toasters - why don't any of them (AFAIK) have a simple 1 slice / 2 slice switch? Over its lifetime my toaster has wasted almost 50% of the electricity it's used (I do occasionally toast two slices).

Dualit.

 

[gg1]

Dual Clutch Transmission, DCT, in normal cars. A gearbox designed for ultra quick changes. Great for track racing.

Utterly frustrating in everyday urban driving with frequent stops / varying speeds. In my car, the darned DCT gearbox "hunts" and it spends more time in a wrong gear - too low for the speed - and not in an optimum gear.

I wonder if that might be a fault with you gearbox, I have a DCT car and it very rarely either hunts or feels like it's in the wrong gear.

 

[DelW]

Dualit.

So they do, though it looks like only the "classic" models at £150 ish for a two-slice job have the 0 / 1 / 2 switch. Even at 40p / kWh it would take me several decades toasting one slice a day to recoup that. If my current toaster expired I *might* be tempted though, they do look nice, and they're made here not in PRC.

 

[brad465]

Hand washing facilities in any toilet where soap, water and drying are combined into one, in that order only, and you have much less control over how much of each you use.

Also any household appliance/gadget that the cynic in me believes breaks deliberately after a few years so you're forced to buy a replacement and the corporations involved make more profit (thinking Apple in particular, who seem to be the go to for organisations providing work phones).

 

[Farigiraf]

Also any household appliance/gadget that the cynic in me believes breaks deliberately after a few years so you're forced to buy a replacement and the corporations involved make more profit (thinking Apple in particular, who seem to be the go to for organisations providing work phones).

Sometimes its not cynicism...
Apple fined for slowing down old Iphones

 

[John Webb]

Hand washing facilities in any toilet where soap, water and drying are combined into one, in that order only, and you have much less control over how much of each you use......

Particularly irksome as most liquid soaps recommend wetting the hands first - if you don't do so the residues are much harder to rinse off properly....

 

[507 001]

Utterly frustrating in everyday urban driving with frequent stops / varying speeds. In my car, the darned DCT gearbox "hunts" and it spends more time in a wrong gear - too low for the speed - and not in an optimum gear.

Sounds like you’ve got a dud there, or just a very badly programmed gearbox. What is it, if you don’t mind me asking?

I’ve now owned two cars, and had access to two others with modern dual clutch auto boxes (Volvo, VW, Audi and Mercedes:- Volvo having the best one, very responsive) and whilst some are better than others, none of them have been anything other than brilliant.

As for torque converters… yuk!

 

[Ediswan]

So they do, though it looks like only the "classic" models at £150 ish for a two-slice job have the 0 / 1 / 2 switch.

I believe the '1' position only leaves off one end element. You are still powering both sides of the centre element. Here is the wiring.

 

[edwin_m]

I have a screwdriver with changeable blades that are stored in the handle. Turning the handle in most of the ways one might do with a screwdriver results in unscrewing the lid of the storage.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Sounds like you’ve got a dud there, or just a very badly programmed gearbox. What is it, if you don’t mind me asking?

Thanks for the insight on other marques' DCT technology. I have a Hyundai i40, it's been like it from the point I bought it, at 11 months old (6.5k miles). The cynical part of me was not surprised the dealer could not find a fault, throughout the car's 5-year warranty....

 

[JD2168]

Liquid soap dispensers in Public toilets, most either don’t work or give you so little that you are barely able to use it.

If you have worked in a shop you will know that whoever designed the Herbal Essences shampoo bottle has never tried to stack them on a shelf without them all falling over.

Self checkouts, the space you have for packing your bags at most of them, particularly in a supermarket is not adequate for the job.

 

[SteveM70]

Wine bottles. As someone who has worked in logistics all my life, they’re incredibly space inefficient. Should be square in section.

Also water and spirits bottles but to a lesser degree as they generally don’t travel as far and waste as much money

(Yes, I know some overseas produced wine is bottled in the UK)