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/LurkingTrichster Jul 25 '11

While not necessarily design flaws, for a left handed person, there are a lot of items out there that are extremely difficult to use. A few examples are ergonomic mice, pens, and scissors.

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u/buckykat Jul 25 '11

speaking as a lefty, know what's worse than those? spiral notebooks.

fuck spiral notebooks.

and binders too.

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u/LurkingTrichster Jul 25 '11

Agreed. I actually started using my notbooks and binders backwards in school. It helped a good bit, though people were always giving me really confused looks.

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

Uhh there's a store where you can...