# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/141 "2019-04-16T00:02:51Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > It’s called a courtesy flush. You know more is on the way, but you flush the current output so everyone else, including you, doesn’t have to smell it. Also, if you know you’re going to have a big movement, so you don’t clog the toilet. Also known as a “precautionary flush.” ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/142 "2019-04-16T02:35:24Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > It’s called a courtesy flush. You know more is on the way, but you flush the current output so everyone else, including you, doesn’t have to smell it. Ah got it. I thought it said “doing a number one” meaning pee. Makes sense now. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/143 "2019-04-16T13:35:07Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > Or the ones with no handle at all but just in IR sensor behind your back which flushes when you get up to leave. _I’m still sitting here, you stupid toilet!_ Now you have to fish around behind you for the little tiny button next to it that will flush it, or try to lean to the side to get it to trigger. The toilets at my work don’t even have the button. Now it’s a temperature sensitive black dot that you have to hold your finger on. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/144 "2019-04-16T15:49:20Z")
Getting back to the OP… Making a purchase at the concession stand of any movie theater I have visited is always a terribly inefficient transaction. One single person takes your order, handles the purchase, then individually gathers all food and beverage items one at a time. If it were one theater I would chalk it up to a single manager/owner. But every theater I have been to follows the same process. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/145 "2019-04-16T15:56:52Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > Getting back to the OP… > Making a purchase at the concession stand of any movie theater I have visited is always a terribly inefficient transaction. One single person takes your order, handles the purchase, then individually gathers all food and beverage items one at a time. > If it were one theater I would chalk it up to a single manager/owner. But every theater I have been to follows the same process. I’m not sure that I’ve been to many places that do it differently. I mean there’s the occasional food court/rest area with a cafeteria line , and some Panera type places where you order in one spot and pick up at another , but for the most part, whether it’s a McDonald’s or a concession stand at a theme park/sports venue/beach/theatre it’s one person taking my order and gathering all the items. There is very occasionally one person taking the order and another gathering the food, but that’s only faster because it’s twice as many people. It’s not faster than two cashiers each taking orders and gathering the food ---
**Author:** ![blood63](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/146 "2019-04-16T16:00:50Z")
> [@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 have one of those. I love it. Sometimes it stops working. I lift the wire lever up for a few days and then put it back down again. It always starts working again. I’ve had mine for about 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/147 "2019-04-16T19:22:58Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I’m not sure that I’ve been to many places that do it differently. I mean there’s the occasional food court/rest area with a cafeteria line , and some Panera type places where you order in one spot and pick up at another , but for the most part, whether it’s a McDonald’s or a concession stand at a theme park/sports venue/beach/theatre it’s one person taking my order and gathering all the items. There is very occasionally one person taking the order and another gathering the food, but that’s only faster because it’s twice as many people. It’s not faster than two cashiers each taking orders and gathering the food Most fast food and food court places around here have switched to the 2 phase system. Station one you order and pay. Station two you pick up your food, either by having your name or a number printed on your receipt called out. But even those that do not do have some teamwork involved. Eg. Macdonalds will have one person putting french fries in fry pouches, the kitchen assembles the sandwiches and wraps them and places them in a warming tray. The cashier just grabs the items and puts them in a bag. Where the movie theater differs is one person is the cashier, the popcorn scooper and butterer, the nachos assembler, the drink getter and the candy grabber, all located in different locations. Also, when a fast food place gets busy the manager comes up and turns it into an assembly line to move customers through quicker. Never see that in a busy movie theater. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/148 "2019-04-16T19:53:25Z")
This is a minor one but for many many years I had a microwave where you can just start punching in numbers to set a time to cook something. Now I have a new one (it is actually an old one but new to me) where you must hit a Cook button to enter a cook time. Why? I am almost always hitting a button on here to set a time to cook and for the one time out of 500 I’m not, then make me hit a button first (to set the clock for example). It’s stupid and annoying. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/149 "2019-04-16T20:45:32Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > This is a minor one but for many many years I had a microwave where you can just start punching in numbers to set a time to cook something. Now I have a new one (it is actually an old one but new to me) where you must hit a Cook button to enter a cook time. Why? I am almost always hitting a button on here to set a time to cook and for the one time out of 500 I’m not, then make me hit a button first (to set the clock for example). It’s stupid and annoying. Our microwave only has three buttons for time: 10 minutes, 1 minute, 10 seconds. You can press them as many times as you need to, but you’ll never be able to set it for anything that isn’t a factor of those three things. Magnificently idiotic. Oh, and you have to hit “Cook” first, too. So, for comparison, cooking a TV dinner that needs say, 7:30 cook time: practically every microwave I’ve ever used before: 7-3-0-Start = 4 button presses this thing: Cook-1 minute-1 minute-1 minute-1 minute-1 minute-1 minute-1 minute-10 seconds-10 seconds-10 seconds-Start=12 button presses Of course, I could just hit Cook-10 minutes-Start, then set a 7:30 countdown alarm on my cell phone. That’s … easier? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/150 "2019-04-16T22:42:55Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > practically every microwave I’ve ever used before: > 7-3-0-Start = 4 button presses My time frugal tip: 7-3-3-Start. Some button presses, but you don’t have to hunt for zero, which admittedly doesn’t take three seconds, but your interaction time will be conserved. 😃 ---
**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 16, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/151 "2019-04-16T23:11:07Z")
IMO having the toilet handle on the left (as you face it) is not really a big issue when you are standing. A little more if you want to do a courtesy flush, maybe, but toilet handles require very little in the way of fine movement or gross strength. What I’ll bet, is that the positioning is to optimize working on the mechanism in the tank. I’ll bet most of the moving parts are easily accessible to the right hand, and would be almost impossible for a left-handed plumber. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/152 "2019-04-17T02:48:06Z")
As an average height woman I’ve found that most designs are aimed at average-height or above men. For example, showerheads. I appreciate that guys don’t want sprays going up into their faces but most I’ve encountered have them positioned so that a man on a ladder, ie the man installing the thing, can say to his buddy below, hey, can you reach this? And the buddy says yup. He might have to reach up to change the direction of the showerhead but that’s no big deal. Now get me, 5’5"ish, and often I can’t reach it at all so if it’s been knocked out of place that’s me showering in a nice spray from the wall. I’m not going to jump up to reach something in a slippery place. This isn’t so much a problem when I’m on holiday in the US, FWIW. The showers there are a bit better designed. I’m in the UK. There was a programme called “decent homes” for social housing tenants in the UK about ten years ago and every single one of their designs was based on someone about 5’11". But it made me realise that actually quite a few things are based around a male height, bc they’re the ones installing it, but in daily life it’s generally easier and safer to bend down a little than to have to reach really high or get a stool. And given that the majority of able-bodied people are shorter than the average male height due to gender or age this is a pretty silly way to design things. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/153 "2019-04-17T02:57:02Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > The specifications for that model say “Left mounted tank lever” not “Special left-mounted.” > > I’m not saying toilets with right-hand flush aren’t available, but they aren’t as common. > > This isn’t worth an argument in this thread. Tell you what, Google Image for “[flush toilet](https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=757&ei=m16yXLH8L8WosgXSxqCIDg&q=flush+toilet&oq=flush+toilet&gs_l=img.3..35i39j0l9.2406.5197..5769...0.0..1.93.937.12......2....1..gws-wiz-img.....0.OQWZKhl3cK4).” Count the number of images with a handle on the left versus the right. Do the same with “[flushometer](https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=757&ei=aV-yXO_NBI27tgX_5YCYAw&q=flushometer&oq=flushometer&gs_l=img.3..0l10.1921.4567..5090...0.0..0.91.853.11......1....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..35i39j0i10.c-isFdPUHMU).” My search for flush toilet showed 4 cisterns with handles, 3 on left and one on right, among over 100 with centre button. Obviously, the handle is not the usual method here in the antipodes. (Aus and NZ) ---
**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 17, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/154 "2019-04-17T03:05:23Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > As an average height woman I’ve found that most designs are aimed at average-height or above men. For example, showerheads. This got me curious, so I measured. In my absolutely standard, cookie-cutter, U.S. subdivision house, the ceiling in the bathroom is 8’. The built-in shower pipe is 16" below that. Every shower arm I’m familiar with is angled downward. If the downward section is at least 1" that means the showerhead will attach at roughly 6’3" How high are your showers in the U.K.? ---
**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 17, 2019, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/155 "2019-04-17T03:08:35Z")
> [@Kiwi\_Fruit](#): > > My search for flush toilet showed 4 cisterns with handles, 3 on left and one on right, among over 100 with centre button. > Obviously, the handle is not the usual method here in the antipodes. (Aus and NZ) **Kiwi Fruit** , interesting. Residential flush toilets with a center button have not become popular here in the U.S. because many families use the toilet lid as a shelf. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/156 "2019-04-17T03:22:48Z")
> [@Kiwi\_Fruit](#): > > My search for flush toilet showed 4 cisterns with handles, 3 on left and one on right, among over 100 with centre button. > Obviously, the handle is not the usual method here in the antipodes. (Aus and NZ) > [@kunilou](#): > > **Kiwi Fruit** , interesting. Residential flush toilets with a center button have not become popular here in the U.S. because many families use the toilet lid as a shelf. Additionally, almost all Aussie toilets are dual-flush - one button uses a half-tank of water, the other uses the full tank. It’s a water-saving measure, along with having a lot less water in the bowl. There’s just barely enough to comer the bottom, here. When my wife-to-be first visited me in the States, she thought for a moment that there was something wrong with my toilet, as the bowl was half-full of water. She also said she hadn’t understood the idea of the dogs drinking out of the toilet until she saw that. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/157 "2019-04-17T03:59:20Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > Getting back to the OP… > Making a purchase at the concession stand of any movie theater I have visited is always a terribly inefficient transaction. One single person takes your order, handles the purchase, then individually gathers all food and beverage items one at a time. > If it were one theater I would chalk it up to a single manager/owner. But every theater I have been to follows the same process. I don’t buy concessions all that often, but the AMCs I usually go to have one person ringing you up and then you stand to the side and pick up your food when someone else calls it out. ---
**Author:** ![yendis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ed8c4c/32.png) [@yendis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yendis)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/158 "2019-04-17T12:42:24Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > What I’ll bet, is that the positioning is to optimize working on the mechanism in the tank. I’ll bet most of the moving parts are easily accessible to the right hand, and would be almost impossible for a left-handed plumber. The mechanism is side agnostic. In fact in South Africa the handle tends to be on the right hand side if it isn’t a centre push button arrangement. And I doubt somebody is making special right handed innards just for us. I installed a toilet with a plastic cistern and it had soft points on both sides so you could punch out either one and install the handle however you wanted. The mechanism works either way. ---
**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 17, 2019, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/159 "2019-04-17T17:00:40Z")
> [@Kiwi\_Fruit](#): > > Obviously, the handle is not the usual method here in the antipodes. (Aus and NZ) > [@yendis](#): > > The mechanism is side agnostic. In fact in South Africa the handle tends to be on the right hand side if it isn’t a centre push button arrangement. And I doubt somebody is making special right handed innards just for us. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa? The answer is obvious. \*\*\*Flush toilets in the Southern Hemisphere were designed to flush in a manner opposite those in the Northern Hemisphere to compensate for the Coriolus Effect! * * * Another secret of the Illuminati revealed! ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358/160 "2019-04-17T17:12:18Z")
One of the reason I hate to go out to loud crowded bars is the design of the bar itself. The bar only sits so many people and they cram them into every inch along the bar rail. Everyone else in the place has to order drinks from the same bar but there’s no where to approach the bar to place an order. So that leaves you to try to flag down a bartender from behind the rail patrons and yell over their heads to the bartender. And if the music or band is blaring good luck with that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poor-designs-in-everyday-life/832358.md?page=9)