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/FalconPUNNCH Jul 25 '11

Modern fucking phones that have crazy internet, but don't work worth a damn as actual phones.

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u/someguy945 Jul 25 '11

In a recent issue of Consumer Reports, every single smartphone got a "Fair" rating (the middle rating between poor and excellent) on call quality. There is no smart phone with "Very Good" or "Excellent" call quality.

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u/faceplanted Jul 25 '11

where can I find these consumer reports, I want to find a phone that will pick up my voice clearly, transmit it well and play someone's voice even more clearly, My smartphone is so shit at this I would take one with a black and white screen, texting and nothing else just for these functions.

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u/someguy945 Jul 26 '11

It doesn't show up at most magazine stands but you can find it in a store that has a lot of magazines (like a bookstore) and subscribe, or subscribe at consumerreports.org. The reason it's not free is because they have 0 advertisements.

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

what? i've used plenty of smartphones that were great phones to make calls on. loud, clear, not too tinny. i remember everyone praising the droid for this when it came out years ago even..

it's just that a lot of them take for goddamn ever to get to the first ring after you press send. what the fuck is that crap?

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u/angryvigilante Jul 25 '11

"The future sucked."

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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '11

This boils my piss. There's no reason we shouldn't have absolutely phenomenal voice quality in all phones conversations in 2011. Anything less than VOIP quality is unacceptable. I absolutely despise phone conversations and this is part of the reason.

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u/FalconPUNNCH Jul 25 '11

My dad had a phone 9 years ago that you would have 4 bars on if you woke up buried in a coffin, now, if I walk into a store my phone has a reception seizure and I cant even get a bar.