# 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:** 38
**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:** [June 22, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/741 "2023-06-22T19:26:08Z")
I think the Little House type of roller towel did work that way, but the more modern style you used to find in public restrooms had their ends attached to different rods. When the clean towel was depleted, they’d replace the used roll with another clean one. The dirty rolls of toweling were sent out to be laundered and reused. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/742 "2023-06-22T19:41:48Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > here’s two sub-packages of foil wrapped cookies inside the box. > Three layers of packaging when one suffices This isn’t as silly as you claim. The separate sub-packs can be opened individually…so you can eat some today, but leave the other half of the cookies sealed , so they will remain fresh till the next time. [ ---
**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:** [June 23, 2023, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/743 "2023-06-23T00:05:09Z")
I have used them; and IIRC that seemed to be more or less what happened. I believe they did get changed entirely once in a while. Or maybe the available towel ran out and they had to be changed – it occurs to me that I’m not sure the used portion didn’t get wrapped onto another roll instead of coming around again; but the machines looked to me as if the towel would come around again, dried out. People used to be a lot less fussy about things like that. And do you toss your bathroom hand towels in the wash after every single time you use them? ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/744 "2023-06-23T00:11:30Z")
And the fact is that they’re missing the other piece of the slot. Half the time when you pick up the cereal box it buckles inward and slides out of your hand. By contrast to cracker boxes that keep the other half of the slot but aren’t subject to the pressure of being picked up that way anyway. (Cracker boxes also have a square cross-section as opposed to the rectangular one of the cereal box.) ---
**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:** [June 23, 2023, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/745 "2023-06-23T23:17:08Z")
(Oops, meant to post this in the bad software thread.) Came across a particular bad one yesterday, esp. considering the seriousness of the situation. Bad storms were brewing. My phone lit up with a **tornado** **warning** alert, but before I could really start reading it _another_ popup overlaid the **tornado** warning. Apparently, the software had decided that the phone had woken up normally and a “helpful tip” blob was needed. (It was telling me how to use the mic to ask a question. Duh. I had the settings to stop those, I thought.) Now, since the phone was still locked, there was no \*#&#^@ way to swipe or x out the extra popup that was preventing me from reading, you know, the **tornado** warning. I had to tap above the popups, unlock the phone and check my messages. And guess what? The **tornado** warning (with it’s helpful details) was nowhere to be found. This is absolute genius. Fortunately I was next to my 'puter so I could look up the info. But, egad. What an idiotic thing to do. What if I was out and away from a computer, etc.? Seconds can matter here. (The tornado didn’t come all that near us. Not so lucky is **FtGKid1** who was about 2/3 mile from it. Suffered some outdoor damage.) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/746 "2023-06-24T05:07:00Z")
Plastic jars with strange shapes which make it impossible to get all the product out. Stuff like apple sauce, which won’t just run out, and long thin spatulas can’t get into the bulges and crevices. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/747 "2023-06-24T05:37:36Z")
I never had much admiration for the cute little hollow glass corkstoppers on certain liquor bottles. Umm, cool, the bottle measures out shots for you! So… I’m tipsy, I’m wishing to pour out more shots, and so I upend the bottle, then if I stand it up, the liquid that would constitute the shot runs back into the bottle, so I need to pull the plug out as I flip the bottle back rightside up, but not too soon lest I spray a bunch of fancy liquor all across the carpet… what could go wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/748 "2023-06-24T05:43:27Z")
I don’t think I’ve griped about this before: but the gas cap release lever is placed with breathtaking awkwardness in both of our cars. In the newer one, I actually have to open the door and lean out to reach it. If someone else is doing the pumping, like my husband or son, that’s just unnecessary. Even if I’m pumping, the contortions are painful. On a lot of cars, too, it’s RIGHT NEXT TO THE HOOD RELEASE lever. Nope, that’s never gonna cause problems. > [@AHunter3](#): > > Umm, cool, the bottle measures out shots for you! So… I’m tipsy, I’m wishing to pour out more shots, and so I upend the bottle, then if I stand it up, the liquid that would constitute the shot runs back into the bottle, so I need to pull the plug out as I flip the bottle back rightside up, but not too soon lest I spray a bunch of fancy liquor all across the carpet… what could go wrong We don’t buy much fancy liquor, so this is a “feature” I have not experienced - but maybe the theory is you hold the stopper in one hand, over the drink’s intended container, and lift and pour from the bottle into the stopper, at which point you then tip the stopper into the drinking glass then put it back on the bottle? Or it could just be decorative and not actually intended to measure a shot? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/749 "2023-06-24T05:55:22Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > We don’t buy much fancy liquor, so this is a “feature” I have not experienced - but maybe the theory is you hold the stopper in one hand, over the drink’s intended container, and lift and pour from the bottle into the stopper, at which point you then tip the stopper into the drinking glass then put it back on the bottle? Yeah, maybe. This sound like a good idea to you? ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/750 "2023-06-24T15:44:32Z")
Mayonnaise jars drive me nuts Since they bulge out just below the lid it’s almost impossible to get at the mayonnaise there with a spatula or spoon, and of course the mayonnaise is so thick that it doesn’t drip into the jar on its own. Also, sometimes the jars have a bulge in the base that you have to try to scrape around when you get to the bottom of the jar. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/751 "2023-06-24T18:42:32Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > My phone lit up with a **tornado** **warning** alert, but before I could really start reading it _another_ popup overlaid the **tornado** warning. Apparently, the software had decided that the phone had woken up normally and a “helpful tip” blob was needed. (It was telling me how to use the mic to ask a question. Duh. I had the settings to stop those, I thought.) No gripe about tornadoes and UI is complete without a reference to this gem: > **[TornadoGuard](https://xkcd.com/937/)** > > The bug report was marked 'could not reproduce'. More seriously, I agree that the “helpful tip” popups from the OS and from all apps should be inhibited any time there is a pending notification that’s not a “helpful tip”. Of course that’s susceptible to cheating by app developers, but part of the value of store apps is the curation by the store owner to ensure UI design _requirements_ are completely adhered to on pain of your app not being certified for sale. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2023, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/752 "2023-06-24T18:43:51Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > Mayonnaise jars drive me nuts. Mayo squeeze bottles are even worse. ISTM the minimum product wastage is 10% with 15% being more likely. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/753 "2023-06-24T19:01:32Z")
Oh, and salad dressings. The oil-based ones aren’t too bad, but trying to empty any creamy dressings like ranch or honey mustard is another exercise in futility. Even if you let the bottle sit upside-down in the fridge for a week there’s still dressing clinging to the bottom and sides, and with those narrow necks it’s impossible to get even a thin spatula inside to scrape it out. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2023, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/754 "2023-06-24T19:05:29Z")
This is where the microwave is your friend. If you are bound and determined to get every single bit of dressing, BBQ sauce, whatever out of the bottle, nuke the bottle for 5 seconds. Shake to loosen. Nuke for 5 seconds more. That should make the contents liquid enough to get almost all of it out. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2023, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/755 "2023-06-24T19:55:56Z")
That reminds me of another stupid product design: For some reason, commercial honey is always sold in #1 plastic, AKA PETE, AKA polyethylene terephthalate. Honey very often needs to be heated to be re-liquified, and for that last little bit, it’d be very convenient to pour the hot liquid you were going to put it in anyway into the jar, and swish it around a bit. Except that #1 plastic is heat-intolerant: Heat it up, and the jar shrivels up. There’s no reason they couldn’t put it in #2 (high-density polyethylene), the stuff used for milk jugs, instead. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2023, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/756 "2023-06-24T21:20:18Z")
I see honey in glass jars as well. I strongly prefer that packaging for several reasons, of which reconstituting crystallized honey is but one. I suspect the point is they typically want a squeezable transparent package. HDPE is less good at both those things. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/757 "2023-06-25T03:35:23Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > On a lot of cars, too, it’s RIGHT NEXT TO THE HOOD RELEASE lever. Nope, that’s never gonna cause problems. I drive a lot of different hire cars. Just when I think I know which is the petrol cap release (left or right?), I find some model that has a different standard. It certainly doesn’t help when the only way to tell them apart is by deciphering the picture on the release lever, which is usually _ **slightly** _ raised black plastic - on a black plastic lever - in the footwell down by my knee (ie - in the dark). ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/758 "2023-06-25T04:58:42Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Yeah, maybe. This sound like a good idea to you? Not in the least! I tried to find an image of such a bottle online, and had no luck. Only thing I Found was something that appeared to basically replace the bottle’s cap / cork, with an upright jigger measurement cup on top. There, you are clearly expected to hold it in one hand while lifting the bottle with the other. Less convenient all around than simply pouring it into a standalone measuring device - with one of those gadgets, you can’t set the damn thing down. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/759 "2023-06-25T15:54:20Z")
The most mainstream brand that has the “stopper doubles as a shot glass” feature is Cuervo 1800 — [![](https://www.marltonjoecanals.com/images/sites/marltonjoecanals/labels/jose-cuervo-jose-cuervo-1800-reposado_1.jpg) ](https://www.marltonjoecanals.com/images/sites/marltonjoecanals/labels/jose-cuervo-jose-cuervo-1800-reposado_1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/760 "2023-06-25T16:17:46Z")
1800 isn’t owned by Cuervo. The Beckmann Group owns both companies is all. > [@Wallaby](#): > > It certainly doesn’t help when the only way to tell them apart is by deciphering the picture on the release lever, which is usually _ **slightly** _ raised black plastic - on a black plastic lever - in the footwell down by my knee (ie - in the dark). On my Nissan, the gas cover release has a cutout in the bottom of the switch that you can feel without looking at it. Very simple to use and I never get it confused with the hood release. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=37) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=39)