# 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:** 17
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/321 "2023-04-18T20:40:53Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Bring a bag of potato chips up a mile to 11,200 feet. When they blow, it sounds like someone just shot at you. Oh my gosh, yes ! I was flying into a remote village for a week of teaching (advanced first aid, essentially). A movable bulkhead right behind me separated the passenger compartment from cargo space in this small aircraft. As we crossed the last mountain range I hear Pow! Pow-pow-pow! Pow-pow! Pow! Pow! WTF ?! How can anyone be shooting up here? They were carrying a shipment of snack foods for the village’s only store. ---
**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 18, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/322 "2023-04-18T20:56:33Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > > [@WildaBeast](#): > > > > every electric stove I’ve ever used has had the knobs at the back (not counting built-in cooktops) > > My aunt’s ancient electric stove has buttons—large, physical buttons that can be (and have been) turned on by a cat jumping onto the counter. There’s a reason they changed to knobs. > > [https://external-preview.redd.it/\_vb32ZhurweKLSbwPBtOkzj3gMG-yBZe\_OapTIu2Rj0.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=272ed191a0729eaec5d67dfdf0b2702dfb854d2a](https://external-preview.redd.it/_vb32ZhurweKLSbwPBtOkzj3gMG-yBZe_OapTIu2Rj0.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=272ed191a0729eaec5d67dfdf0b2702dfb854d2a) For awhile in the early 60s, some cars (notably the Edsel) had pushbutton gear shifts (automatic only). ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/323 "2023-04-18T21:01:53Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > For awhile in the early 60s, some cars (notably the Edsel) had pushbutton gear shifts (automatic only). “Mommy. what does this ‘R’ button do?" ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/324 "2023-04-18T21:05:59Z")
For many years Chrysler products had push button shifts too. Here’s some pix: **[Chrysler push button transmission - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=chrysler+push+button+transmission&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&oq=chrysler+push+button+transmission&sclient=img)** My parents had a really cool 1961-1963 Dodge station wagon with one of those. ---
**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 18, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/325 "2023-04-18T21:06:14Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > For awhile in the early 60s, some cars (notably the Edsel) had pushbutton gear shifts (automatic only). I wasn’t around then, but it seems like there was a fad in the late 1950s of “pushbutton everything”. Which in hindsight was probably mostly just a gimmick to make the products seem “modern”. I’m betting @Dr.Drake’s aunt’s stove was a product of that fad. As was the Edsel and other cars with pushbutton gear shifts. The Edsel’s transmission buttons were a notably stupid design (albeit not one I have experienced), because they put the buttons in the center of the steering wheel, where most people were accustomed to the horn being, with predictable results. ---
**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 18, 2023, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/326 "2023-04-18T21:13:04Z")
Lots of stoves of the era had pushbutton controls, though most of them were on the back. I think they phased out because a dial gives you a range of options. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/327 "2023-04-18T21:17:34Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > For awhile in the early 60s, some cars (notably the Edsel) had pushbutton gear shifts (automatic only). > > “Mommy. what does this ‘R’ button do?" My 2019 Jaguar iPace has push buttons to shift gears. I assume it doesn’t work at 50 mph, but I confess I’ve never dared to find out. > **[2019 Jaguar I-Pace Pictures: | U.S. News](https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/jaguar/i-pace/2019/photos-interior/gear-shift)** > > 2019 Jaguar I-Pace Pictures: View exterior photos, interior photos, and colors. (Gear Shift) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/328 "2023-04-18T22:04:02Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > (notably the Edsel) had pushbutton gear shifts (automatic only). My uncle’s Rambler station wagon had pushbutton shifts. Located on the LEFT side of the steering wheel, as I recall. Actually, a rather safe design. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/329 "2023-04-19T05:30:24Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Bring a bag of potato chips up a mile to 11,200 feet. When they blow, it sounds like someone just shot at you. Had this happen while driving over the Rocky Mountains, the bag in the back popped and we were all WTF. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2023, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/330 "2023-04-19T06:15:23Z")
i remember pictures of “le cars” all over the magazines so much so I used a bunch of them in a kindergarten project , ---
**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 19, 2023, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/331 "2023-04-19T13:36:35Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I wasn’t around then, but it seems like there was a fad in the late 1950s of “pushbutton everything”. Which in hindsight was probably mostly just a gimmick to make the products seem “modern”. Right up there with [Googie architecture](https://archive.curbed.com/c/2019/7/24/18647602/la-googie-architectural-style#intro). ---
**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 19, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/332 "2023-04-19T18:41:15Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Lots of stoves of the era had pushbutton controls, though most of them were on the back I lived in an apartment that had an ancient stove with push button controls on the back. I think the oven was still a dial. It was fine. The only thing that stove ever did for me was have two of the burners stop working a few months before I was moving out. I waited reporting it to the management until I was a week or two from leaving. As I hoped, instead of repairing the ancient stove, they brought me a brand new one that didn’t need cleaning to get my deposit back. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/333 "2023-04-20T00:28:28Z")
My work laptop is an HP z-book. The little box (hub? dock?) that the laptop and monitors and stuff plug into is a sort of rounded cube. All of the ports for plugging things in are on one side of the cube. Where’s the power switch? The entire top of the cube is the power switch! More than once while trying to plug or unplug something from the hub, I have grabbed the cube by the top to hold it still and wound up shutting down my laptop. I’ve had to put a sticky note on the top to remind me not to do that. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/334 "2023-04-20T16:50:35Z")
One the bugs me every day. **Mrs. FtG** likes to use a heating pad in bed. It has an internal timer to shut itself off. When it shuts off for some reason it starts blinking the power LED. And it just never stops. Blink, blink, blink … Furthermore, to shut it off you have to cycle thru all the pad temp settings to get back to “off”. Wouldn’t just turning the LED off be enough to make it clear that it is now, you know, off? (And I’ve had a few media devices that turn an LED _on_ when you turn the thing _off_. This is why God invented electrical tape.) ---
**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 20, 2023, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/335 "2023-04-20T17:01:10Z")
You don’t need to turn on a light to walk downstairs at night in our household. All our electronics and appliances have wildly bright LED time displays and/or pointless indicator lights. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/336 "2023-04-20T17:12:46Z")
I am weird. I like a standard old-fashioned analog alarm clock that I don’t have to go through a menu to set and turn on, or log into to turn back off again, or punch numbers all the way around a clock to get to set for half an hour sooner than the last time. They’ve gotten hard to find, and most of them don’t last all that long. On a morning when I really need to get up early, I feel a lot better if I’ve got two of them set, in case one dies at the wrong time. So when I was at the local farm supply store while the Customer Appreciation Days discount was on, and I was poking around the store checking for things I’d need to buy soon anyway so I could get them at the discount price, and I saw a nice little analog battery-run clock that looked like just what I needed and look, it even has a light you can turn on (to see the time if it’s still dark out) or off (so you can sleep in the dark), I bought it. The clock works. It keeps time, it’s easy to set, the alarm’s reasonable, the alarm works. The light also works. But – the on-off switch for the light and the alarm is the same switch. That’s right – if you turn the alarm on, the clock face light also goes on. And stays on. All night long unless you turn the alarm back off also. And you can’t tape it over, at least without taping over the entire face of the clock, because it’s inside the case and shines up over the entire clock face. The housing curves, so putting it face down doesn’t work either, as quite a bit of light gets out the sides. When I set the alarm, I have to shut the whole clock in the nightstand drawer. Grumble, grumph. (At least I can hear it from in there.) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/337 "2023-04-20T17:55:15Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I’ve had a few media devices that turn an LED _on_ when you turn the thing _off_. Right now I’m looking at a Sansui television that has a red light glowing at its base. The TV is off. When I turn it on, the light turns green. In the next room is a Samsung television that has a red light glowing on its side, near the bottom. The TV is off. When I turn it on, the red light shuts off. I guess the red lights indicate that there is power to the units. That’s the only thing I can figure out. ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/338 "2023-04-20T18:47:42Z")
And also that it’s in a standby mode so it will power up quicker. If you were to unplug it and then plug it back in you would see that it takes significantly longer to get to a usable state. I don’t like this either. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/339 "2023-04-20T18:49:39Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > For awhile in the early 60s, some cars (notably the Edsel) had pushbutton gear shifts (automatic only). I learned to drive on a Plymouth Valiant (1963 IIRC) with a pushbutton transmission. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/340 "2023-04-20T19:12:56Z")
This may not be the stupidest product design but I was amused yesterday when I opened Google Maps to get directions back to my hotel and she started giving me instructions assuming I was on the highway above. (I was parked in a lot below an overpass.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=18)