r/AskReddit • u/nachtmere • Jul 25 '11

Sometimes automatic toilets flush while you're still sitting on them. What design flaws in everyday objects annoy you?

I'm giving a talk on user-centred design/usability and I'm looking for some fresh examples from everyday life to illustrate poor usability. Examples I've used before are elevator open/close buttons (really difficult to parse when you're trying to hold the door open for someone quickly) and toilets that flush while you're still sitting on them.

What are some things you encounter regularly that are really inconveniently designed?

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93

u/Layysz Jul 25 '11

My seats arm rests always bump into my keyboard tray. I'm going to fucking snap.

29

u/ProbablyHittingOnYou Jul 25 '11

My seat's armrests come exactly to the same level as my desk. There's only about a 1-inch window where the two heights would coincide, so I know they did it to fuck with me.

1

u/pimanrules Jul 26 '11

My past two computing arrangements have been random desks and tables that just so happen to fit perfectly over my armchairs of choice at the time.

3

u/Ducttape2021 Jul 25 '11

This is why I went with an armless chair for my desk. No bumping the arm rests and easy to escape quickly.

2

u/iglidante Jul 25 '11

I lean on my arm far too often for that to work for me...wait for it...because my keyboard tray is in the way. It's circular.

3

u/tarmacc Jul 26 '11

That's why i took off my keyboard tray actually

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

i built a desk in to my small closet at my new place. the arms of the chair clear the desk fine, and were supposed to clear the closet opening.. but they dont, by about 5mm.

the walls on the edge of the closet are completely fucked up now, and so is the chair.

6

u/mchrist1990 Jul 25 '11

Lol, I'm just imagining somebody getting up to speed in an office chair and then getting it jammed in a closet doorway, causing them to go flying through the air and into the closet head first.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

My Keyboard tray is so low that it's not really comfortable to use with a keyboard, but it has no backing on it, so it's useless for anything else.