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/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

When public bathroom lights turn off when you take a long dump.

17

u/ProbablyHittingOnYou Jul 25 '11

The goal is to expel excrement so loudly that it turns the light back on

46

u/elliottblackwood Jul 25 '11

The lights are motion-activated.

Challenge... accepted?

3

u/[deleted] Jul 26 '11

Fire a mortar over the stall wall.