# 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:** 73
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1441 "2024-11-23T13:02:49Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > You see an EXIT sign, you push to escape. You should not need to turn a handle. That’s the way it is here in Canada. If it is different elsewhere, then it is different elsewhere. I’m sure that’s the way it is in the US. At least for any large venue. Your friend was willing to make that change. Sounds like small potatoes to me considering everything else that I imagine had to be done. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1442 "2024-11-23T17:11:07Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Never forgot that lesson, and to this day, in office buildings and hotels and other places, I always note the EXIT signs. Follow them, push every time, and you’ll get out in case of an emergency. Is the unstated assumption that this refers _only_ to exit signs _on_ doors? Because in the US at least, I see exit signs hanging from the ceiling with an arrow pointing left or right. Or above or next to the door. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1443 "2024-11-23T18:46:53Z")
We had a case in Montréal a couple of years ago, a 19th century building that had been converted into a bunch of AirBnB rentals. The sidewalk-level door only opened to the inside. According to the owner, because of historical authenticity rules, the door couldn’t be converted to open out, and the fire department had decided that the door could remain swing-in but it had to remain unlocked at all times. It’s still not clear why somebody decided to set fire to the building, it may have been a gang war thing. But we know he opened this unlocked door and set his incendiary device inside. 7 people died. > **[2023 Old Montreal fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Old_Montreal_fire)** > > On March 16, 2023, a fire destroyed a heritage property on Place d'Youville in the neighbourhood of Old Montreal, Quebec, Canada. > The building built in the 1890s was known as Édifice William-Watson-Ogilvie and housed offices Ogilvie Milling Company until the 1940s when it was used by government agencies In the 1960s the upper floors were converted to housing units and further expansions on dwelling numbers were completed in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1994 the ground floor began using the space f... ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1444 "2024-11-23T19:26:35Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > According to the owner, because of historical authenticity rules, the door couldn’t be converted to open out, and the fire department had decided that the door could remain swing-in but it had to remain unlocked at all times. I can sort of understand why the fire department would want the door unlocked so that people on the inside could get out without needing a key or even needing to turn a latch. What I don’t understand is why the sort of lock that locks on the outside but is always unlocked on the inside wasn’t sufficient. People can be locked out but they can’t be locked in. In my experience, this sort of lock is very common in residential buildings. You can change the lock without removing the existing door.( Or maybe it was sufficient and the landlord just chose to leave the existing lock unlocked) ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1445 "2024-11-23T20:35:01Z")
I can understand that there is a lot of anecdotal information about exit signs, whether in the US or Canada, but I will continue to point out that the presence of an exit sign is in no way required to be linked to either outswinging doors or panic hardware sets. Most (but not all) US states use an amended version of the ICC’s International Building Code. Section 1013 in the IBC describes the requirements for the location and types of exit signage. There is nothing linking the presence of an exit sign to the direction the door swings. Further, there are several situations in which exit signs are not required on doors that are absolutely considered “exits.” Finally, there is nothing preventing a building owner from installing additional exit signs on exit doors that are not required to have them by Code, including inswinging doors serving areas with an occupant load of less than 50 persons. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1446 "2024-11-23T22:02:56Z")
More about doors than anyone needs to know, [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CtHpiNBzPsk/maxresdefault.jpg "Shit's on Fire, Yo! All about NFPA Fire Code and One of My Favorite Red Team Cover Identities") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtHpiNBzPsk&t=3461s) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1447 "2024-11-23T22:50:43Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > There is nothing linking the presence of an exit sign to the direction the door swings. This seems like a nitpick. In most cases, exit doors must swing outwards. And in most cases, exit doors must be marked with a sign. And in most cases, non-exit doors must not be marked with a sign, or even with a “not an exit” sign in case of confusion. Sure, there are some exceptions, but there is definitely an indirect link between being marked with a sign and swinging outwards. If you limit yourself to large venues the link becomes even tighter. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2024, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1448 "2024-11-24T03:10:30Z")
It’s quite common for doors with exit signs to swing inwards. We see these in many training facilities, where individual rooms are \< 750 square feet. We see them in small office suites all the time. I was just at my attorney’s office last week…small reception area with a few offices and the one lobby door was inswinging with an illuminated exit sign above it. It is a big deal to reverse a door to a suite so it swings outward safely, so it’s avoided whenever possible. I suspect that people see the many outswinging doors with exit signs in stores, hotels, and other larger structures and just assume that exit sign=outward swinging door. It’s just not a good rule to follow. I’ve been doing this for 40+years, so I’ve seen a lot of space planning and egress analysis. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2024, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1449 "2024-11-24T11:44:42Z")
If you will excuse a small nitpick… Most of the Roman Empire took place during the Common Era If you want BCE, better to go with the Roman Republic ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2024, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1450 "2024-11-24T23:09:10Z")
A restaurant I eat at every few months has a front entrance with the door opening onward only. I have a healthy fear of house/building fires and this restaurant has always bothered me because of those doors. Our city’s commercial buildings are inspected by the fire department every year, so I assume they’re aware of it. Next time I go I’ll look at the stated capacity. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1451 "2024-11-25T13:08:00Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > in most cases, non-exit doors must not be marked with a sign, or even with a “not an exit” sign in case of confusion. My brother had a work-study job in college sitting in front of a door that was not an exit. The door was locked and had a “not an exit” sign. He guarded that door for four years. Occasionally someone would come up to him and ask where the door went, but he never learned the answer to that. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2024, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1452 "2024-11-25T14:03:17Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My brother had a work-study job in college sitting in front of a door that was not an exit. The door was locked and had a “not an exit” sign. > > He guarded that door for four years. Occasionally someone would come up to him and ask where the door went, but he never learned the answer to that. This somehow sounds like the setup for a horror thriller. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1453 "2024-11-25T14:24:56Z")
Was it a red door? Maybe there was some Goth guy back there guarding the servers. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1454 "2024-11-25T15:51:48Z")
Makes one wonder if there was a push bar & an EXIT sign on the other side of that mystery door. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1455 "2024-11-25T16:04:43Z")
I never saw the door in person. This was at Gannon University, and I never visited. Dreary Erie, the mistake by the lake. ---
**Author:** ![Yogeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yogeekgirl/32/4129_2.png) [@Yogeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yogeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1456 "2024-11-25T18:25:47Z")
I can’t elaborate since I’m at work but I nominate anything developed for “furnishings” in a Starbucks store. It’s messy, ugly and not ergonomic at all. Obviously, the designers never worked a retail coffee bar. 🙄 ---
**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:** [November 25, 2024, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1457 "2024-11-25T18:33:16Z")
Perhaps the goal is for you not to be comfortable? ---
**Author:** ![Yogeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yogeekgirl/32/4129_2.png) [@Yogeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yogeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1458 "2024-11-25T18:49:24Z")
Yeah, sometimes I question how much “ the Man” is making pointless busywork for us barista peons. 😜 If we’re too busy cleaning up some BS mess all the time, we’re too tired to revolt. Louis 14th shit. As for actual furniture, yes, you don’t want ANYONE to get too comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1459 "2024-11-25T18:59:22Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > while we are on the subject of Bluetooth Add “anything that used to have a standard headphone jack but doesn’t because Bluetooth” to the list of Stupidest Product Designs. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1460 "2024-11-25T19:16:31Z")
The stock launcher for the Google Pixel phones has something called “At A Glance” to display time, date, and weather". If you like it, fine. It you don’t like it, too bad; you can’t turn it off (well, you can turn off the time and weather, but not the date). If you’re OK with it but want it somewhere else so it doesn’t interfere with your desired screen layout, too bad; you can’t move it either. If Google’s designers think this feature is so great that everyone simply must have it, too bad; there are plenty of third-party launchers. If you want to use the latest Android features like the Private Space lockbox, too bad; third-party launchers take a while to get fully caught up. Grrr… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=72) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=74)