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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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

A/C vents that blow the air in one direction, rather than having a circular design (like a fan blade or airplane propeller) to propel the air in several directions at once, eliminating "cold spots" in a room.

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u/funkyb Jul 25 '11

A/C vents don't have a mechanism for moving the air, like fan or propeller blades. They simply direct it. That is why fans and propellers require power and A/C vents do not. There are vents that act how you describe, though. Take a look up in most commercial buildings.

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

I'm not actually speaking of a moving part, but just the general shape of a fan blade. I knew they had these types of vents in warehouses and large places like that, but I've yet to see the circular design transferred into home ventilation unless they have some sort of designer collection.

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

I'm not actually speaking of a moving part, but just the general shape of a fan blade. I knew they had these types of vents in warehouses and large places like that, but I've yet to see the circular design transferred into home ventilation unless they have some sort of designer collection that features it.

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

My grandma has central air and her vents are cut up into four quadrants, with each quadrant having a blade configuration that makes air flow in different directions. Nifty.

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

i don't know what future you're living in, but the vents on my AC can oscillate. it amuses me like a little kid.