# 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:** 90
**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 11, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1781 "2025-06-11T16:41:25Z")
Made perfect sense to me. Birds of a feather. With the right kind of mind, Home Depot is an incredible “adult” toy store. ---
**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:** [June 11, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1782 "2025-06-11T22:30:59Z")
Anything’s a toy if you’re brave enough. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1783 "2025-06-12T01:24:46Z")
Paige, no! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1784 "2025-06-20T10:58:58Z")
Just back from the supermarket where, once again, the cart I chose turned out to be jammed into the one ahead in the chain. A bit of vigorous bouncing it up and down freed it - but if they’d just made the flick-up back a few mm narrower it wouldn’t jam in the first place. (Could also belong in the “infuriating trivialities” thread!) ---
**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:** [June 21, 2025, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1785 "2025-06-21T16:49:26Z")
Did you mean Piper? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2025, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1786 "2025-06-21T18:15:59Z")
Piper is the blonde girl on the couch, and we’ll leave it at that. “Paige, No” is a reference this: > **[https://i.redd.it/a92df7ui8jqz.jpg](https://i.redd.it/a92df7ui8jqz.jpg)** ---
**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:** [June 22, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1787 "2025-06-22T16:21:14Z")
Never seen this meme. Thanks. ---
**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 22, 2025, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1788 "2025-06-22T17:31:03Z")
Me neither. Thanks as well. Perfect expression on her face. 😉 😁 ---
**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:** [June 27, 2025, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1789 "2025-06-27T16:51:20Z")
If you consider an airline’s onboard amenities to be a “product”… Many airlines have gotten the idea that since 99% of passengers bring a smartphone or tablet or laptop with they no longer need to provide seatback screens for inflight entertainment. Instead, they provide content that can be streamed to your personal device over the plane’s wifi. I personally would prefer a larger seatback screen over my phone’s smaller screen, but I guess it’s better than nothing. But if you’re going to make passengers use their own devices, at least provide power outlets so people don’t have to drain their batteries in order to access what passes for inflight entertainment. But United Airlines only provides power outlets in First Class and Economy Plus. If you’re in the back of the plane, no power for you! So for those of us in Economy, we have to choose between watching a movie, and preserving our devices’ batteries. Maybe not too bad on shorter flights, but I’ve gotten planes in this configuration on long cross country flights like Washington-Dulles to Sacramento and Newark to Sacramento. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1790 "2025-06-27T18:09:18Z")
I don’t think that’s a design problem. That’s a greed problem. (They want you to upgrade to Second Class, aka Economy Plus, or First Class. Third class passengers, aka Economy, get nothing.) ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1791 "2025-06-27T21:08:58Z")
I remember when American Airlines, even in coach, had audio jacks where you could listen to a variety of music channels. They even passed out free earplugs you could use if you didn’t have your own. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1792 "2025-06-27T21:24:57Z")
I remember when there were only a handful of screens, mounted on the ceiling. There was no choice of movie, and if you wanted to listen you had to rent earbuds because they had a special jack. (I bought an adapter.) I recently had a trip where both ways involved connecting flights, so four airplanes. All Southwest 787s. Only the first had gotten an upgrade where each seat back had usb ports. I always bring an external battery. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2025, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1793 "2025-06-27T21:25:27Z")
Delta Airlines has those audio jacks and still distributes earbuds. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1794 "2025-06-27T22:21:52Z")
Delta does distribute earbuds , but it’s no longer the special jack - I can use the Delta ones on my iPad ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1795 "2025-06-28T00:32:39Z")
The earbuds American Airlines passed out were standard mic jacks; I remember using them with my old mpg player. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1796 "2025-06-28T04:44:59Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > All Southwest 787s. Typo? I thought Southwest only flew 737s. ---
**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 28, 2025, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1797 "2025-06-28T22:11:08Z")
AA & Delta have power at every seat on every plane. AA has 110v and USB at every seat. I can’t vouch for Delta’s details. UAL & Southwest do not. Vote w your wallet & tell them why. Also, don’t forget the RJs aren’t really AA, DAL, or UAL, despite the labeling. They’re 3rd rate subcontractors doing a 4th rate job. ---
**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 28, 2025, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1798 "2025-06-28T22:14:56Z")
Yeah, I saw the ads for that: “Free in-flight entertainment on your own device”. Um, I already have that. That’s not some sort of selling point for you. And isn’t wifi disabled by, er, airplane mode? ---
**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:** [June 28, 2025, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1799 "2025-06-28T22:37:54Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Vote w your wallet & tell them why. Yeah, I get that. It’s just that for this particular trip (Sacramento to Quito), flying United via IAH was more convenient than AA’s itineriary via MIA (And for some reason Google Flights didn’t list Delta as an option, but I’m not sure why; they do fly to Quito from ATL). Really, I just found United to be inconsistent. The nearly new MAX8s on the international legs were very nice, with big screens, USB charging ports (I don’t recall if there were 110V ports as well as I didn’t need to use them), and even _Bluetooth_ in addition to the standard headphone jacks. That’s right, you could pair your own Bluetooth headphones with the entertainment system. The 737NGs on the domestic legs, on the other hand, are what I’m complaining about. (And the A320s I’ve been on previously). > [@Chronos](#): > > “Free in-flight entertainment on your own device”. Um, I already have that. That’s not some sort of selling point for you. Eh, it kind of is. If you neglected to download any movies onto your device before the flight, this gives you access to the same library of movies and TV shows that’s available on the planes with seatback screens. > [@Chronos](#): > > And isn’t wifi disabled by, er, airplane mode? No, you can turn on wifi when the phone is in airplane mode. Since the wifi access point is on the plane, it doesn’t require a very powerful signal, which is apparently acceptable in flight. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2025, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1800 "2025-06-28T22:51:31Z")
Yes, WiFi still works even in airplane mode. And BTW, WiFi calling also works in airplane mode. (I have had my phone ring midflight.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=89) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=91)