# Stupidest product design you’ve experienced **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2023, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621 "2023-03-25T02:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/241 "2023-04-03T15:52:24Z")
> [@phs3](#): > > I’m convinced that it contributes to people driving at night without headlights, because hey, they can read their instruments. I made that mistake in a rental car once. My regular car at the time had auto headlights, so when I picked up my rental after dark, started it up, and saw the instruments illuminated and the daytime running lights illuminating the pavement in front of me, I assumed it must have automatic headlights, too. So I drove off, and on the well lit roads around the airport I could see just fine. Then I got onto the highway and realized I couldn’t see worth a damn. So I tried to turn on the high beams, and they just flashed but didn’t stay on. And then I realized what the problem was. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/242 "2023-04-03T16:10:27Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Maybe that’s for people who iron things? That’s best done while the clothes are still slightly damp. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Lots of people seem to think the best way to handle permanent press garments is to dry them to still slightly damp then hang them up that way. I don’t think so. I have a setting for permanent press. And if I use the regular DRY the clothes are dry, never damp. 🤷‍♀️ ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/243 "2023-04-03T16:14:37Z")
The iMac hias been mentioned a couple of times above. Thanksfully I haven’t even seen one in the flesh since the early naughts, but I remember having to work on one for a year or two at work. The thing that killed me was the reset button that was located _inside_ the case. Literally. If the machine froze up and you had to force restart, you had to unbend a paperclip then stick it through a pinhole in the side of the case (which had maybe heated up enough to fry an egg by then). Someone with a degree in computer engineering designed this and it made its way through to the consumer. That’s baffled me for years. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/244 "2023-04-03T16:46:06Z")
My understanding on DRY vs VERY DRY is that there are temperature and humidity sensors which the machine uses to judge doneness (sort of like how a rice cooker uses the boiling-water ceiling to deactivate itself). Very Dry is hotter than Dry, and that heat can damage elastic, among other things. If you’re drying a lot of underwear with the waistbands, you may prefer to avoid Very Dry. But t-shirts and other less-fragile garments would be fine. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/245 "2023-04-03T17:14:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Set that once when you buy the car and you’re done fiddling with headlights. I’m sure that I’ve heard Jeremy Carlson hazing James May for not spending enough time fiddling with his headlights like a real man. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/246 "2023-04-03T17:15:18Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Dry (AKA somewhat damp) I don’t recall in my time in Florida that _anything_ ever got any drier than “somewhat damp”. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/247 "2023-04-03T17:44:27Z")
This is far from the stupid_est_ product design, but it’s still stupid: manufacturers who put their liquid product into an opaque container or fully cover the container with a label that makes it impossible to see how much of the liquid is left. I understand practical considerations about the type of packaging material used; as I understand it, the opaque HDPE that is typically used for detergents is impact-resistant, light-sensitive liquids are generally packaged in dark glass, etc. However, it’s really to the manufacturer’s benefit to let me _see_ how much product is left in the bottle so I’ll go out and buy more! (Looking at you, the empty Jet-Dry bottle with the full-wrap label.) ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/248 "2023-04-03T19:48:20Z")
> [@abcdefghij](#): > > Carlson \*Clarkson ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/249 "2023-04-03T21:46:33Z")
With my 2010 Dodge this is standard. Surprised it’s not industry standard. I have to say that truck’s user interface is by far the best I’ve encountered in terms of ease of use and user controlled features (like not having the horn honk when you lock the fucking truck). ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/250 "2023-04-04T00:29:45Z")
Here’s a new entry that I just happened upon. We bought a new printer/scanner, a Canon MB5420. I just finished setting it up, and the paper trays will not close all the way if there is paper in them. The drawer sticks out about two inches. I looked it up, and yes, it’s by design. So we can either leave the paper in the tray, and have it open all the time so that dust gets in there. Or, we load the paper in each and every time we need to print something, and remove it when we’re done. I read a few reviews before choosing this printer, and none of them mentioned this. I would’ve picked a different make and/or model had I known. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/251 "2023-04-04T00:47:49Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > That’s why substantially all modern cars are equipped with a fully-auto position on the headlight selector. Put it in “auto” and they’ll be on or off as the sensors decide is necessary. Set that once when you buy the car and you’re done fiddling with headlights. My car is something like 16 years old now, and it still has that feature. I don’t think I even know how to de-auto the headlights. Good design. I think that rain usually triggers the sensor, too (however it works). > [@WildaBeast](#): > > I made that mistake in a rental car once. My regular car at the time had auto headlights, so when I picked up my rental after dark, started it up, and saw the instruments illuminated and the daytime running lights illuminating the pavement in front of me, I assumed it must have automatic headlights, too. So I drove off, and on the well lit roads around the airport I could see just fine. Then I got onto the highway and realized I couldn’t see worth a damn. So I tried to turn on the high beams, and they just flashed but didn’t stay on. And then I realized what the problem was. I can’t remember all of the details now, but I was in a rental car once (not as the driver) where the instrument panel was OPPOSITE to the headlights: The panel lights would only come on when the headlights were off, and vice-versa. Sure hope you don’t need to see how fast you’re going at night! ---
**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 4, 2023, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/252 "2023-04-04T02:08:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > where the instrument panel was OPPOSITE to the headlights: The panel lights would only come on when the headlights were off, and vice-versa I’ve experienced that where it was a backlighting issue. During the day when headlights are off (obviously) the backlight is bright so the display is visible in the sun. At night when the headlights are on (obviously) the backlight dims so it isn’t blinding. Turning the headlights on in the day means the backlight dims, and is not visible. I _think_ my old VW had the LCD displays like that. If the headlights were on in bright sun, the radio and clock displays were invisible. I might be thinking of another car, though. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/253 "2023-04-04T02:13:48Z")
My fridge has some controls like that but they require a long press to activate. So, brushing against them makes the fridge beep that something has been pressed but nothing happens unless you keep pressing it for a few seconds. Since you rarely ever change those settings pressing and waiting for three seconds to make something happen is fine. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/254 "2023-04-04T21:26:15Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Set that once when you buy the car and you’re done fiddling with headlights. No. Every time you bring your car into the shop for anything, they turn it off. And you get to discover this the first time you drive after dark after that appointment and your headlights haven’t come on. Happens everywhere I take my car: the dealership, VIP, Town Faire Tires… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/255 "2023-04-05T12:14:26Z")
My last Hyundai has a pillar next to the windshield that blocked the view of the left lane if you were on a curve. Very disconcerting when a car came out of nowhere. It must have been a common problem, since I saw an article about someone who came up with a system to put a camera and screen on the pillar to show what was being blocked. My new Hyundai has changed the location of the pillar slightly, so it’s no longer a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/256 "2023-04-05T15:48:47Z")
Yes, this! And it happens at the car wash too! ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/257 "2023-04-12T03:34:56Z")
My wireless headset can store the dongle in the one earpiece. After taking the headset to the hospital when my wife was in there for a week, I spent 20 minutes searching my bag for the dongle, thinking I’d lost it! Not the product’s fault, tho. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/258 "2023-04-12T06:41:03Z")
The wireless mouse I use on my laptop has a socket in the bottom for holding the dongle and, knowing it was there, I found it easily the first time. Unfortunately when I pushed it back in, something went, ‘crick,’ and socket no longer has a friction fit – you turn the mouse right side up, the dongle falls out. Therefore it has taken permanent residence in a USB port on the computer. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/259 "2023-04-12T11:49:47Z")
I have a wireless mouse with a socket in the bottom, inside the battery compartment. Which is fine, I suppose, but it is also friction fit, and with the battery in there, I can’t get the thing out. So every time I want to set it up I have to take the battery out first. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/260 "2023-04-12T12:31:31Z")
My husband’s tractor wouldn’t start last weekend. He was upset, thinking he’d have to replace the starter (about $600). However, thanks to Youtube, he found out that a temperature monitor could be the source of the issue, because if it was bad it would cause a fuse to blow, causing the starter to fail. And yep, that was it! The temperature monitor was a lot cheaper to replace, too. Seems to me it was a bad idea to have that fuse affect the starter, since the tractor can be used without the temperature monitor, as long as you can MAKE THE DAMN THING GO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=14)