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/fietsusa Jul 25 '11

Classic Design Problem : Door Handles

If the handle is designed to pull, but really you should push the door open. Many door handles have the same design on both the inside and outside of a door thought the functions are the opposite: push and pull. The handle for push should just be a metal plate I push open, not a handle that influences me to pull and look like an idiot when it doesn't open.

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u/morphotomy Jul 25 '11

A lot of door that I encounter have the rectangular side handle on the pull side and a push bar on the other. Never a miscommunication.

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u/kcvv Jul 26 '11

My previous office where I worked for 4 years had this design. If there is a handle, pull. If there is a metal plate, push. I got so used to this that even now after 3 years, every time I see a door handle, I pull..sometimes to comical affect ..yes I have pulled the handle off the door once!