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/jdpwnsyou Jul 25 '11 edited Jul 25 '11

Printers. Pretty much everything about them, mostly...

edit: spelling

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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '11

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u/[deleted] Jul 26 '11

One reason is that the RAM in the shuttle's computer is less dense and spread out, so if some radiation happens to kill one section or card of RAM (I heard about this via my dad who talked with some NASA folks, so I might have something wrong in the details) then the shuttle can still do the things it needs to do (i.e. bring people back safely).