# 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:** 70
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1381 "2024-08-18T22:36:23Z")
And when you get this kind of pill bottles the first time, you save the easy-open caps from your old bottles to use on the new bottles. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2024, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1382 "2024-08-18T22:38:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That’s when you use a knife. Or the end of a spoon. Go in from the back and just cut the pill out. Fingernail scissors. Far safer than a knife. You can scissor the blister right off the front face of the flat sheet. Bigger scissors usually have blades that are too thick or wide to get in there. Or use the point to poke through the thinner paper / foil / plastic backing then use the scissoring action to cut a widening spiral or an X until you can remove the pill. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1383 "2024-08-19T00:19:39Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > individual pills in blisters or peel-aparts… … which is the packaging that my _“Omigod-it’s-a-migraine-quick-need-a-pill-NOW!”_ meds come in. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2024, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1384 "2024-08-19T00:54:09Z")
I opened a lot of those migraine pill impenetrable blister packets for my late wife. A lot. I don’t exactly feel your pain but I sure recognize it. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1385 "2024-08-19T01:15:42Z")
Curved tip tweezers like these: [Curved Tip Tweezers, Bent Forceps, 4.5" | First Aid Plus](https://firstaidplus.ca/products/curved-tip-tweezers-bent-forceps-4-5) Poke one tong through the foil into the blister beside the pill or capsule you want. Pinch the foil and twist it off, drop the pill out. It’s more annoying and needs more force with paper-backed blister packs, but it also works. I used to open dozens a day for testing, this method saved my sanity. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2024, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1386 "2024-08-19T03:07:46Z")
I use one of these: [https://www.knifecenter.com/item/UC455CSNB/united-gil-hibben-original-large-3-piece-throwing-knife-set-leather-sheath](https://www.knifecenter.com/item/UC455CSNB/united-gil-hibben-original-large-3-piece-throwing-knife-set-leather-sheath) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1387 "2024-08-19T05:01:59Z")
That works, until the pharmacy gets vials that are a millimeter or two wider or narrower, and the old caps don’t fit any more. This happened when I worked at the grocery store pharmacy. We had a few customers who were really pissed off about that. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1388 "2024-08-19T05:47:28Z")
I do understand why they’re so tightly packaged - so they don’t crumble - but oh, how frustrating that must be if you need one NOW. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1389 "2024-08-19T13:44:37Z")
I’ll assume you’re being serious (after all, why not?) and add that I use an automatic knife (switchblade). They were originally intended for ease of use by craftsmen, fishermen, etc., and are simple to open even if you don’t have a lot of dexterity. The only other consideration is that you need a button lock, and not a liner or back lock since they require a bit more finagling. I have one in each bathroom and one in the pencil jar on my coffee table in the den. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1390 "2024-08-19T15:00:10Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Why didn’t anything become as common for PUSH and PULL without needing to use the words? And how does something get proposed and actually become widely accepted and understood? > > I think about this rather often and have no answers! The words can even become confusing in a way you wouldn’t expect. In Brazilian Portuguese, the verb _puxar_ means “to pull”, and the “x” is pronounced as “sh” (at least by residents of Rio). The spoken imperative form of the verb sounds an awful lot like saying “Push” This meant that when my wife came to the USA with minimal English many years ago she would see the door saying “PUSH” and read it as “puxar” and try to pull on the handle. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1391 "2024-08-19T15:14:25Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > The words can even become confusing in a way you wouldn’t expect. > In Brazilian Portuguese, the verb _puxar_ means “to pull”, and the “x” is pronounced as “sh” (at least by residents of Rio). The spoken imperative form of the verb sounds an awful lot like saying “Push” > > This meant that when my wife came to the USA with minimal English many years ago she would see the door saying “PUSH” and read it as “puxar” and try to pull on the handle. A similar confusion occurs for German tourists in Italy. In German, “cold” means “kalt”, while “hot” in Italian means “caldo”. So when Germans use Italian faucets labelled “freddo” and “caldo”, they often scald their fingers choosing “caldo”. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1392 "2024-08-19T16:24:24Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > A similar confusion occurs for German tourists in Italy. Or American tourists in Spanish-speaking countries. Faucets are labelled ‘F’ for frio (cold), and ‘C’ for caliente (hot). I speak from first-hand (literally) experience in Mexico, Peru, and Spain. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2024, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1393 "2024-08-19T16:31:09Z")
I Googled and there are a couple of pictogram designs (example below) to indicate if a door should be pushed or pulled. I don’t see any of them in the US but it might be a good idea to add them to the words PUSH and PULL. [![](https://www.shutterstock.com/shutterstock/photos/1699188562/display_1500/stock-vector-push-pull-open-close-icons-1699188562.jpg) ](https://www.shutterstock.com/shutterstock/photos/1699188562/display_1500/stock-vector-push-pull-open-close-icons-1699188562.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1394 "2024-08-19T16:51:17Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > > A similar confusion occurs for German tourists in Italy. > > Or American tourists in Spanish-speaking countries. Faucets are labelled ‘F’ for frio (cold), and ‘C’ for caliente (hot). I speak from first-hand (literally) experience in Mexico, Peru, and Spain. Then there’s the urban legend that a hotel in Quebec brought its showers into compliance with the province’s dual-language law by putting a “C” on both faucets. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1395 "2024-08-19T16:54:33Z")
Are cold faucets labeled blue and the hot ones red universally understood? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2024, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1396 "2024-08-19T17:02:53Z")
Ummm… how about a sign in 27 different languages that says: Try each faucet first so you’re not surprised! That’s what I do anyhow. I’ve found older houses where the taps are reversed. And some are set “Righty-Loosey” (clockwise to open). ---
**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:** [August 19, 2024, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1397 "2024-08-19T17:04:00Z")
I _briefly_ stick a finger in the running water to see if it’s getting warmer. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2024, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1398 "2024-08-19T21:06:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I don’t see any of them in the US but it might be a good idea to add them to the words PUSH and PULL To me, the first one looks like “keep the velocoraptors from getting in” and the middle one like “the door is stuck.” The last one isn’t too bad, except they’re all just showing “handle means pull” and “push plate means push.” [![](https://www.shutterstock.com/shutterstock/photos/1699188562/display_1500/stock-vector-push-pull-open-close-icons-1699188562.jpg) ](https://www.shutterstock.com/shutterstock/photos/1699188562/display_1500/stock-vector-push-pull-open-close-icons-1699188562.jpg) ---
**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:** [August 19, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1399 "2024-08-19T21:32:38Z")
The first two pictographs in each row show someone attempting to open the door, but failing. The clear message is “don’t try to open the door this way; do the other thing”. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1400 "2024-08-19T21:35:07Z")
I think this example is clearer. [![](https://www.shutterstock.com/shutterstock/photos/2300014435/display_1500/stock-vector-push-or-pull-to-open-door-signs-door-stickers-for-your-doors-take-action-to-open-vector-2300014435.jpg) ](https://www.shutterstock.com/shutterstock/photos/2300014435/display_1500/stock-vector-push-or-pull-to-open-door-signs-door-stickers-for-your-doors-take-action-to-open-vector-2300014435.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=69) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=71)