# 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:** 97
**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:** [March 25, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1921 "2026-03-25T14:39:03Z")
LOL - Damn you, autocorrect. Cooktop was what I meant. A black on black cookbook could work, if it was in braille. ---
**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:** [March 25, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1922 "2026-03-25T14:44:00Z")
The hold light also had me scratching my head. Perhaps it’s purpose is to make it easier to read the black cookbook? 🤪 ---
**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:** [March 25, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1923 "2026-03-25T14:45:08Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > A black on black cookbook could work, if it was in braille It seems, however, more appropriate for a book of recipes for unpleasant magic. Who are you zapping, Mama? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1924 "2026-03-26T15:27:51Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > …So are all the labels for the controls, all of which are simply places to press. Ditto the “burners”. > > It’s nearly impossible to use without the hold light turned on. I got an induction cooktop last year, and made a point of getting one with physical knobs for that very reason. ---
**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:** [April 13, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1925 "2026-04-13T20:49:54Z")
Bras. They come with adjustable straps. On 99% of them, the adjustment part is ON THE BACK. As in, you put the thing on, see that the straps are too long or too short, and you have to basically take it off, guesstimate how to adjust it, then put it back on. I have owned bras that have the adjusment bit in the front. It is not that challenging from a technical standpoint. I assume this is to make a smoother line in front - but honestly, if someone can see your bra strap adjustment, they’re gonna see the edges of the fabric - and maybe your shirt is too tight. ---
**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 13, 2026, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1926 "2026-04-13T21:02:14Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Thanks for the link. The photo shows the dock without any cables but you said there was a cable permanently attached to it. So I just figured out that you actually _can_ remove the cable – you have remove the cover from the bottom of of the dock in order to detach the cables. I’ve never seen one like that before and it’s not exactly intuitive to figure out that the bottom comes off and that’s how you access the cables to detach them, so it still qualifies as a bad design in my book. Maybe it came with instructions that indicated that, but I didn’t get any instructions; our IT guy just dropped the dock off at my desk with no other material. ---
**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 13, 2026, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1927 "2026-04-13T21:34:48Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > As in, you put the thing on, see that the straps are too long or too short, and you have to basically take it off, guesstimate how to adjust it, then put it back on I thought that’s what BFs / husbands are for. At least that’s how I was trained. 🤪 I’m a voice activated bra adjuster / back zip zipper-upper / necklace & hair detangler, bracelet hooker-upper, etc etc. The list is long. ---
**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 14, 2026, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1928 "2026-04-14T11:35:13Z")
“Mongo is only accessory in game of life.” ---
**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:** [April 14, 2026, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1929 "2026-04-14T11:42:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > hair detangler When my daughter was young, her hair was constantly tangled up. At some point, willing to try anything, I bought this and I was surprised at how well it worked. It’s battery operated and those teeth/bristles don’t spin, they oscillate. You’d think they’d make things worse, but it would just glide through her hair, right through all the tangles. It really made brushing her hair a much less traumatic experience. A few months ago I was getting my hair cut at a salon that caters primarily to adults (and skews older) and was surprised to notice they had one for sale there. > **[Amazon.com : Remington Tame the Mane Thick and Curly Hair Detangling Brush for...](https://www.amazon.com/Remington-DT7432-Electric-Detangling-Batteries/dp/B000JI9JYQ)** > > No Tears; No Tangles; No Tantrums; The Remington Tame The Mane Electric Detangling Brush makes everyday detangling fast and easy; It’s as simple to use as a traditional brush or comb just glide the detangling brush through wet or dry hair and be... ---
**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 14, 2026, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1930 "2026-04-14T11:55:45Z")
Interesting invention. And like you, I’m surprised both how it works, and that it works. GF doesn’t have inherently tangly hair; it’s more short, fine, and straight. But it seems to be the perfect length & diameter to get wrapped up in every necklace or chain she wears. Which only gets noticed when it’s time to take the stuff off. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1931 "2026-04-14T14:16:23Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > As in, you put the thing on, see that the straps are too long or too short, and you have to basically take it off, guesstimate how to adjust it, then put it back on. I think about this practically every day. I do have a bra that has the adjusters in the front, but it’s not my favorite bra as a whole. This is something else I think about practically every day. Necklaces that have a charm or whatever it’s called should have the charm fastened to the chain, not free-floating. I hate that most of the time, the chain starts to migrate around my neck, and pretty soon, the clasp is in the front. It happens if I’m just sitting at my desk, not really moving. Drives me crazy! ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1932 "2026-04-14T20:16:00Z")
I bet you’ve unhooked and unzipped a fair number too… ---
**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:** [April 14, 2026, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1933 "2026-04-14T22:32:04Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > Necklaces that have a charm or whatever it’s called should have the charm fastened to the chain, not free-floating. Usually called a pendant. But those fully attached to the chain have their own problems. The whole chain often starts migrating, sliding the pendant up toward one shoulder or the other. My wife has some, but generally avoids them, no matter how cool an individual piece may be. ---
**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 15, 2026, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1934 "2026-04-15T01:28:25Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > you have remove the cover from the bottom of of the dock in order to detach the cables. I’ve never seen one like that before It must have been designed by the same person who designed a printer I recently encountered. I had to connect a USB cable to it, because the owner’s Chromebook only supported wired scanning. I could not find the USB plug anywhere. After resorting to Dr. Google, I found the USB plug _under_ the scanning bed. You have to lift the whole glass scanning platform, and there is a USB-B socket under there, and then the USB cable is snaked along a path and out the back. The power plug and network jack are in normal places on the side of the printer, but I guess the USB plug is too embarrassing to be on the outside? ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1935 "2026-04-15T13:33:13Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > This is something else I think about practically every day. Necklaces that have a charm or whatever it’s called should have the charm fastened to the chain, not free-floating. I hate that most of the time, the chain starts to migrate around my neck, and pretty soon, the clasp is in the front. It happens if I’m just sitting at my desk, not really moving. Drives me crazy! I have one of those medical alert buttons which is on a cord. The cord goes through a loop at the top of the button, so the clasp floats free. The problem is, the clasp is a ball-and-socket which occasionally pops open, particularly if the button catches on something when I move around. ---
**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 15, 2026, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1936 "2026-04-15T14:14:14Z")
Yesterday I had occasion to use my 2017 Ford Edge to jump-start another vehicle. As I was attaching the jumper cables, I realized that there was no way to attach the black cable to the negative post on the battery, given the position of the battery against the rear wall of the engine compartment. To their credit, Ford does provide another grounding post that is easily accessible, but it’s certainly not obvious how a person could remove the negative clamp when replacing the battery. Certainly there’s a way to do that, but it wouldn’t be easy. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1937 "2026-04-15T14:25:05Z")
There is usually no need to attach directly to the neg terminal of the battery. Any unpainted metal part of the frame will do, although sometimes it can be tough to find a clean unpainted spot. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2026, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1938 "2026-04-15T14:37:54Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Any unpainted metal part of the frame will do, although sometimes it can be tough to find a clean unpainted spot. There’s usually a flat, solid steel connection from the battery compartment to the frame which the cable can be easily attached to. ---
**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 15, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1939 "2026-04-15T14:43:05Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Any unpainted metal part of the frame will do, although sometimes it can be tough to find a clean unpainted spot. > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > There’s usually a flat, solid steel connection from the battery compartment to the frame which the cable can be easily attached to I totally understand that, and I had no problem connecting the jumper cables. My point was that the battery itself is virtually inaccessible when attempting to replace it. Batteries used to be located in a spot where it was easy to access, but apparently not anymore. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/1940 "2026-04-15T15:06:44Z")
Tell me about it. We have a 2004 Prius, and the 12V battery is in the right rear corner under the tray that holds the spare tire. There are jumper points under the hood, but replacing it is a PITA. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=96) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=98)