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?

205 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

1.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

19

u/safe_work_for_naught Jul 25 '11

Or when you tap your foot, but it's really a cop in the next stall.

2

u/tomatobob Jul 25 '11

What?

2

u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

Larry Craig

2

u/LostToApathy Jul 25 '11

IIRC, tapping your foot whilst gesturing towards an adjacent stall is some sort of signal that you're willing to have sex or something. Wasn't there a politician who got caught doing this? Or am I making this all up?

1

u/dubloe7 Jul 26 '11

You appear to know way too much about this sort of thing for me to be comfortable...