# Poor designs in everyday life **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358 "2019-04-10T21:36:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/41 "2019-04-11T16:32:16Z")
Refrigerator doors that don’t automatically close. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/42 "2019-04-11T16:38:50Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I can’t picture what you mean by this. Example? The classic cloverleaf style freeway interchange is an example of this. [Here is one near me](https://goo.gl/maps/jqCL2Sd4aKS2). The exit from the freeway in one direction shares the same lane as the entrance to the freeway in the other direction. I guess it makes it easy for people who want to go the other direction on the freeway, but it means that in a short space, cars are trying to move both in and out of a lane. It’s fine if there isn’t much traffic, but in rush hour it can create a big bottle neck. Or perhaps what was meant was a freeway entrance lane which then turns into the next exit lane. I’ve seen this, too, but no examples come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/43 "2019-04-11T16:41:22Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Refrigerator doors that don’t automatically close. Rotate the front feet on the refrigerator so that it is angled very slightly back. Refrigerators should not be perfectly level. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/44 "2019-04-11T16:43:49Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Similarly, if you drive south across the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco, there is no freeway connection through the city. You have to get off the freeway and drive city streets clear across town (40-50 blocks) to get back onto a freeway (the freeway that was there, the Embarcadero, collapsed in the Loma Prieta quake and wasn’t replaced because landfill). There’s much more to the story. The planned connection between the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate was never constructed due to uprisings and protests. Some of the structure that was built in preparation for the connection was demolished not long ago since there was no longer any hope of the connection idea being revived, and the useless, elevated freeway was an eyesore. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/45 "2019-04-11T17:09:48Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > I guess it makes it easy for people who want to go the other direction on the freeway, but it means that in a short space, cars are trying to move both in and out of a lane. It’s fine if there isn’t much traffic, but in rush hour it can create a big bottle neck. Yea, cloverleaf interchanges are fine for lower traffic (which there probably was 30 years ago when they were built). The environment changed, so I don’t blame the designers too much. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/46 "2019-04-11T18:52:24Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I can’t picture what you mean by this. Example? [Here’s a picture of my most hated one](https://www.google.com/maps/@36.093803,-80.233329,3a,60y,50.2h,68.06t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAKMhnb_KoH_gQa6UhehPUg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en). At the point in the picture, you’ve got to accelerate and merge left to stay on the highway. At the same time, people already on the highway who want to get off that exit straight ahead have to merge right and slow down. It’s a clusterfuck, especially at rush hour. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/47 "2019-04-11T18:54:13Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Oh, and[this piece of shit](https://images.app.goo.gl/bVYPmk22CDp5LSX17). > > It’s a Kitchenaid/whirlpool ice maker. If you have one, you know what I’m talking about. I used to live this hell every day. Now, I’ve shut off the icemaker & buy ice in bags :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/48 "2019-04-11T19:04:10Z")
Several models of our NEC projectors use the same model remote control, and it has a very annoying design flaw. Instead of having a separate video source function button, it uses the numbers on the main keyboard. #1 would “Computer 1”, #2 Computer 2, #3 HDMI, etc. The result is that teachers will often accidentally press a number button and change their video source without realizing what they’ve done, and their computer projected image will suddenly disappear. I get a couple of dozen work orders a year from perplexed teachers saying that their projectors aren’t working right. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/49 "2019-04-11T19:22:20Z")
When I’m on the treadmill I turn on closed captioning as I often can’t hear the TV. Even though I have a wide screen TV, some of the movies are still letter-boxed. Why in the worlds can’t the captions appear in the nice black area below the picture. Instead they write it over the picture where it’s often difficult to read against the changing background. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/50 "2019-04-11T19:32:29Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > I used to live this hell every day. Now, I’ve shut off the icemaker & buy ice in bags :mad: It’s poorly designed, but easy to fix. I’ll post later on two repairs that you’ll probably need to do at some point. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/51 "2019-04-11T19:54:16Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > [Here’s a picture of my most hated one](https://www.google.com/maps/@36.093803,-80.233329,3a,60y,50.2h,68.06t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAKMhnb_KoH_gQa6UhehPUg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en). > > At the point in the picture, you’ve got to accelerate and merge left to stay on the highway. At the same time, people already on the highway who want to get off that exit straight ahead have to merge right and slow down. It’s a clusterfuck, especially at rush hour. [Here’s my favorite.](https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0576682,-88.028815,3a,75y,194.78h,87.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJODIYe8cHf4GzyrK-PnGBA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en)😉 Traffic from the westbound Northwest Tollway onto 53/290 must merge left quickly, criss-crossing the traffic that must just as quickly merge right if it wants to exit 53/290 for the eastbound Northwest Tollway. Some engineer forgot some sage advice: [Ghostbusters]Whatever you do, don’t cross the streams![/Ghostbusters] And I usually go through here on a sleepy Sunday midday. I can’t imagine what that’s like during heavy traffic. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/52 "2019-04-11T19:56:17Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I was having lunch in nice restaurant today, and my meal came served in a oblong, curved plate. It was beautifully stylish, very fashionable, and poorly designed. The nice, heavy knife would not stay on the edge of the plate - the weighted handle would pull the knife down the edge of the curve, and the handle would end up in my Chicken Limone. After the third time, I gave up and put the knife on the table. A (nicer) breakfast/lunch place near me switched to almost completely flat plates, with just the hint of a rise between the center and the edges. It’s ok if the plate is significantly larger than the plate, but when I’ve gotten an egg over medium, the rise wasn’t enough to keep the egg yolk from dripping. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/53 "2019-04-11T21:10:16Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I’m still confused: Are you saying you flush while sitting and the current design favors lefties for flushing while sitting? > > I don’t flush while sitting and have never had a problem flushing a toilet or urinal with my left hand, and I’m not real ambidextrous. I don’t see the location of a pull down lever that requires very little dexterous manipulation to be much of a factor for left or right handed folks. I could hold a claw in my left hand and still get that flush lever to function. Hell, I could reach up with my left foot and manage to flush. Seeing the number of broken public toilets, I think the flush with the left foot is pretty common. No, I’m saying the current design favors lefties for flushing while standing and facing the toilet/urinal/flushometer. The current design disfavors right-handers. And righties are the majority. My observation really has nothing to do with MY preference/advantage. If one is right-handed, and one wishes to flush while standing, one must either use the “wrong” hand (or foot) or reach across to use the dominant hand. For that matter, I don’t understand why the early high-tank pull-chain models didn’t just place the chain and drain in the center of the tank. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/54 "2019-04-11T21:35:49Z")
I’ve got a dishwasher that, when it’s finished washing dishes, beeps. Every fifteen minutes, until you go in and turn it off. Which means I can’t wash up, start the dishwasher, and go to bed, because the beeping is loud enough to wake me up. There’s absolutely no reason it needs to keep beeping. It is not an oven. My dishes aren’t going to get over-cleaned if I don’t turn off the washer. They are not going to catch fire. But, apparently, it is very important to the manufacturer that I get up and press a button to make the fucking thing shut up. Also, my oven displays not just the time, but also the date and year. Which isn’t a problem, exactly, it’s just… why? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/55 "2019-04-11T21:41:57Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > No, I’m saying the current design favors lefties for flushing while standing and facing the toilet/urinal/flushometer. The current design disfavors right-handers. And righties are the majority. > > My observation really has nothing to do with MY preference/advantage. If one is right-handed, and one wishes to flush while standing, one must either use the “wrong” hand (or foot) or reach across to use the dominant hand. > > For that matter, I don’t understand why the early high-tank pull-chain models didn’t just place the chain and drain in the center of the tank. I flush with my foot. I don’t like germs especially toilet germs. Even at home. And I know my toilets are clean. I’m kinda anal about it (heh). ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/56 "2019-04-11T22:04:29Z")
I have a Troy-Bilt lawn tractor with an “automatic” transmission. It’s really just a set of variable ratio pulleys and a v belt. The poor design is with the clutch/accelerator pedal. It’s only suitable for tall people. The pedal is too far away from the operator and so requires stretching one’s leg out fully and holding it there with some force while mowing. I’m 5’6", so I’m not awfully short. This thing would be terrible for anyone shorter. The problem could be easily fixed by a longer, closer pedal lever. I used some pieces of wood and made some extensions, and now it’s fine. I also have a Troy-Bilt riding mower at my other residence. The issue is the same, the clutch pedal lever is too short. On this one, it’s not a reaching/stretching problem, but since the pedal lever is so short, the clutch always engages quite abruptly and the pedal requires a lot more effort to push than it should. Increasing the length of the thing about three inches would solve the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/57 "2019-04-11T22:13:13Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > No, I’m saying the current design favors lefties for flushing while standing and facing the toilet/urinal/flushometer. The current design disfavors right-handers. And righties are the majority. > > My observation really has nothing to do with MY preference/advantage. If one is right-handed, and one wishes to flush while standing, one must either use the “wrong” hand (or foot) or reach across to use the dominant hand. > > For that matter, I don’t understand why the early high-tank pull-chain models didn’t just place the chain and drain in the center of the tank. My theory: most right-handed people wipe their ass with their right hand, and would prefer to use the other hand to flush, to avoid contaminating the knob with ass-germs. (Of course, you could wash your hands before you flush, but then, if you are a bit like **Beckdawreck** , you’d have to wash them _again_ after flushing!) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/58 "2019-04-11T22:16:39Z")
^^^ You mean everyone doesn’t wash their hands twice at every bathroom visit? Say it ain’t so!😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/59 "2019-04-11T22:24:46Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > ^^^ You mean everyone doesn’t wash their hands twice at every bathroom visit? Say it ain’t so!😉 Three times in a public restroom. Don’t forget, when you leave you have to open the outside door, find something to prop it to stay open, then go back and wash your hands again because you know the person who left right before you didn’t bother to wash up even once. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/60 "2019-04-11T22:27:01Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I find tilted sidewalks very poorly designed. > > There’s one close to a relatives house. It has to be almost 30 degrees. Maybe more. > > She’s in a wheelchair and enjoys a walk around the neighborhood. Me pushing. 😉 > > Her chair won’t roll straight on that tilted sidewalk. Takes all the strength I have to hold it straight. I worry my hands will slip off the handles and she’ll go flying. > > I’ve started pushing in the street on that section of the block. It’s low traffic and safer. > > Like this > [https://images.app.goo.gl/uPjT1rQNv5gYVRm88](https://images.app.goo.gl/uPjT1rQNv5gYVRm88) The ADA requirement for cross-slope of a sidewalk is 2% maximum. The maximum running slope is 5%. If the sidewalk is badly designed or badly broken you can submit a complaint. The sidewalk in the link is a trip hazard as well as not suitable for wheelchairs. > [@Rocketeer](#): > > I hate to say this; it’s probably deliberate. It’s intended to reduce traffic speeds and make areas safer. Perhaps ironically, they call it “traffic calming”. More likely it’s a cost problem. If signals are synced, they’re usually synced to the proper speed limit to combine traffic calming with improving traffic flow. But systems are pricey and require technicians to keep them working properly. > [@Nava](#): > > Wait, where you live the traffic lights timing changes when an emergency vehicle goes through? 😕 AFAIK all I’ve ever seen is the situation where “if an emergency vehicle is blaring sirens, any other signals must be ignored”. The lights merrily go on with their usual timing. EVP = Emergency Vehicle Pre-emption. **Echoreply** explains below. > [@echoreply](#): > > In many places emergency vehicles have a strobe light on them, which traffic lights detect, and will cause the lights to interrupt their cycle and go to green for the emergency vehicle. [According to this article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption), there also acoustic, radio, and GPS based preemption systems, which makes sense. There is the occasional story of a private vehicle using one of these. There are intelligent traffic systems that can handle pre-emption without going out of sync, but that requires either that a line of signals are wired together, or that all signals are wired to a traffic control center. Hint: if you’re ever designing a traffic control center, estimate how many conduits you’re going to need as your city expands over then next twenty years, then multiply it by three. By two at the very least. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358.md?page=4)