“Step In Front Of A Bus”: 65 Times Designers Had Just One Job To Do And Failed Dismally

“Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it.” Those are the words of Jared Spool, an American writer, researcher and usability expert. And we couldn't agree more.

But while bad design can be funny, there are times when it is no laughing matter. There's an entire book dedicated to raising awareness of the dangers of bad design. Written by Jonathan Shariat and Cynthia Savard Saucier, Tragic Design explains the impact of poorly designed products, and outlines how they can anger, sadden, exclude, and even end the lives of people who use them.

One of the stories features tells how a younger cancer patient might have still been alive had designers paid more attention when designing the hospital's new software.

The girl, who isn't named in the book, was put on new medication while in hospital. The meds were so strong that she required pre- and post-hydration for three days during treatment periods. Nurses looking after her had to enter important data into medical software and also follow up on her status.

"Although they used the software diligently and cared for Jenny, somehow they missed the critical information about her three-day hydration requirements on the interface," reports the UX Studio team. This had fatal results...

The young patient passed away the day after her treatment, due to toxicity and dehydration. According to Tragic Design, had the software interface been better designed, a young life may not have been lost.