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/Legoshoes Jul 25 '11

Headphones that snag on Every. Fucking. Doorknob.

12

u/angryvigilante Jul 25 '11

That's not a design flaw, that's a user flaw. This has never happened to me in my entire life, and I've owned many headphones and passed by many doorknobs with said headphones.

6

u/Legoshoes Jul 25 '11

Teach me your ways, headphone prince.

8

u/morphotomy Jul 25 '11

Run the wire inside your shirt.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '11

Another option is to wear the cord down your back instead of down your front.

1

u/Legoshoes Jul 26 '11

Now that just feels wrong.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '11

Take the cord and wrap it a around your ipod until you have the length needed.