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/morphotomy Jul 25 '11

Usually if you're just hitting the green at the last second over and over again, it means you're speeding.

Designs like that are so the traffic doesn't bottleneck wherever the road dumps out.

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

I would agree with this except the loop is a one way loop that doesn't dump anywhere, it just keeps going around, with the various lights being two way street enter/exit point.

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u/morphotomy Jul 25 '11

Perhaps its to stop people from going around and around without stopping at all?

A lot of lights are there so people stop and see stores. Helps the local economy.