30 Awful Design Fails That Actually Got Presented To The Public

"Good design to me is both people- and planet-centric," said lead industrial designer Elodie Delassus to Bored Panda. "As designers, we understand the user needs, their aspirations, the context, and the use requirements to bring to life a meaningful product that people will love having in their lives."

She adds that it's not only about the people but also the planet, as designers' responsibility is to understand the lifecycle of the product they create. Picking the right material and manufacturing techniques allows them to have a conscious impact on our world. "A good design, to me, is not only making sense in use and aesthetics, it is also a sustainable product in the long run."

On the other hand, a bad one "doesn't take into account the above, is often flawed, and has a short life in actual use. A bad design breaks easily, gets out of trend, and ignores the user's needs or context," says Delassus.

One of the most common mistakes Delassus notices in bad design is the poor choice of materials, like a product blending two different plastics. A toothbrush with hard plastic and a soft silicone overmold is a great example of this.

"This might look attractive, BUT it makes the plastic or product unrecyclable," she explained. "You can also think about products that mix organic material with plastics. It basically makes the plastic unrecyclable, and the product will end up in landfills or incineration."

Another aspect that creators overlook is the long-term appeal of the product. Designers should produce a product that is easy to maintain and clean (reducing any nooks and crannies), which also adds to its longevity. "One example could be a product using soft-touch paint - very desirable at first but becomes sticky over time, especially in humid and hot environments," said Delassus.

In addition, bad design adds unnecessary and unjustified complexity. "The design of a product is the voiceover that talks about what the product can do, guides how it can be used, etc. Design that doesn't guide its users ends up being confusing," explains the industrial designer.

Moreover, bad design choices ignore the context of use. One example is a fan with a bright LED that can't be turned off when the fan is working. Users may be placing it in their bedroom and be disturbed by the light at night.

The last feature of a poorly designed product that Delassus mentions is exclusivity. "We usually design for the 50th percentile. However, the golden standard in design should be inclusive.

The best designs often start with an extreme user/context and have benefits to the broader community (it is called the curb-cut effect). Good design provides enough space between buttons, good ergonomics, and visibility."

Dieter Rams, a German industrial designer known for his less but better approach to design, outlined the characteristics of good design so creators know what is expected of them. He had immense influence in this field and helped to shape how products in the 20th and early 21st centuries looked and worked. Alarm clocks, toothbrushes, and coffeemakers are just a few of his hallmarks. 

In the late 1970s, Rams tried to figure out the world around him, asking himself the important question, “Is my design good design?” The answer led him to his ten principles, which we’re going to discuss more below.

First, a designer should always strive for innovation. The world is constantly progressing, and new technologies are offering plenty of opportunities for novel and inventive ideas. Therefore, design has to keep up by taking these creative ideas and turning them into useful solutions to modern problems. 

Innovation in design can take many forms. It can involve new materials or technologies, rethinking traditional ways of designing, or finding fresh solutions to impractical issues. By embracing innovation, creators can come up with products that aren’t only functional but also sustainable and cost-effective.

Even in the 1970s, Rams was concerned with the environment, waste, and consumer culture. In his 1976 speech, he said, “I imagine our current situation will cause future generations to shudder at the thoughtlessness in the way in which we today fill our homes, our cities, and our landscape with a chaos of assorted junk.”

With fewer and fewer natural resources, he believes that both buyers and designers should take responsibility for the state our world is in. He calls for an end to wastefulness and continues to advocate sustainable and innovative creations. 

It's self-explanatory that the main reason people buy a product is so they can use it. That’s why design shouldn’t detract from its usefulness either. However, an item that is considered useful to one may be entirely useless to others, so the specific criteria that determine this remain difficult to define.

Something that makes buyers use the item more is if it’s aesthetically pleasing. When we don’t enjoy the look of it, we are less likely to pick it up.

Without a doubt, it should also be easy to utilize without any details interfering with the user's experience. By saying that design should be unobtrusive, Rams is emphasizing the importance of simplicity and usability. Choosing a classic design that never looks outdated also prevents more products from ending up in landfills.

Finally, the product should be honest with its consumers, meaning that a person shouldn’t feel disappointed when an item doesn’t work as well as they hoped. So the design should be as innovative, powerful, or valuable as it claims to be. According to Rams, products should be reliable, durable and allow people to use them as they were intended to be used.

In a nutshell, the best design won’t require extra explaining to its users, who will very much appreciate how simple yet thoughtful creations understand the people they are designed for. Jared Spool, the American writer, researcher, and usability expert, put it best, “Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it.”

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