Good design is supposed to make our lives easier. Whether it’s a piece of furniture, a sign, or a kitchen gadget, the goal is usually to make things more practical and convenient. But sometimes, designers seem to forget that part of the job entirely. And instead of solving problems, their creations end up causing even more of them.
To show you what we mean, we’ve rounded up some hilarious design fails from a subreddit dedicated to spotting them. Scroll down to check them out, and don’t forget to upvote the worst offenders!
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The Headwacker 3000 At The Hotel I'm Staying
Perforation Fail! Never Seen One Of These That Actually Works
They don't, even if one uses a knife to help the perforation along. See every Mac and Cheese box ever made.
The Tiles At The Hotel I’m Staying At. The Only Way I Know It’s Not Mold Is Because The Pattern Repeats In Other Parts Of The Bathroom
Uneven Surface, Bad Slope And Locked Down Wheelchair Access
There’s A Special Place In Hell For Whoever Designed This Tape Measure With A Rounded Bottom So It Falls Over When You Put It Down To Mark Something
… Toilet Paper?
I Love My Local Pizza Place But Dang If This Don’t Look Like Vomit
A Locking Drawer That Can Be Bypassed By Removing The Upper Drawers
How On Earth Am I Supposed To Read The Label On This Bottle. (Yes! There Is Actually A Label In The Picture!)
Labels, handles, buttons, switches etc that are designed to be "aesthetically pleasing" at the expense of functionality are one of my pet peeves.
A Token Of Appreciation From My Boss. Only Points Down When Read Correctly
These Signs Are Giving Me Confusion
These New Peugeots Are Great, They Blind You With Glare On The Metallic Finish
Poison Coffee (It's Supposed To Read As "Up Tension")
Magnet Cant Lay Flat Bc Of The Curve
Good Luck Blind People!
Stairs At My Psychologist, I Tripped And Almost Fell Face First When I Opened The Door The First Time
This Chicken Tender At KFC Looks Like A Rat At First Glance
Found The Carpeted Sauna Again
Parking Bays, Nightmare To See As A Colorblind Person And Near Impossible To Park Within The Lines At Night. Should Have Been Solid White Lines
So That's Where It Comes From
Only Other Bathroom Aside From Primary Suite In Home W/ 2 Adults, 2 Young Kids. Where To Put Toothbrush, Hair (& Makeup) Stuff, Handsoap?! Terrible Children's Bathroom Reno By Kim Wolfe On Hbo / Hgtv
Every Lamp On The Street Is Like This. It’s Hasn’t Rained In A Week
I cut grass for a lady who asked me to look at her Direct dish to see if there was a problem due to no reception. Little plastic cover over receiving wand was filled with water.
Reflective Tile In My Office Bathroom
Elevator 9 On Floor 14
Hospital Bathroom Light Switch That Looks Just Like The Emergency Buzzer
What color is the emergency buzzer? Is there an emergency buzzer? Where is the emergency buzzer? So many questions...
I’m Not Sure How To Hold This Coffee Mug
Oh, Sorry, Did You Want To Watch The Tennis Match?
I'm Sure They Make A Lunch Not Worth Losing
24/7 Help Line. But No Number Anywhere To Be Found
Highly Accessible Sink I Found In A Japanese Restroom
Couldn’t Find My Hotel Light Switch
Just need a wire clothes hanger to freak out the residents in their rooms this Halloween.
The Least Appetizing Way To Present Sliced Meat In An Italian Supermarket
Hard To Read The Menu At New Restaurant
This Panda Plushie With, Apparently, Two Faces, I Found At A Claw Machine I Took My Baby Cousin To See In An Ice Cream Shop
Took Me Sec To Understand What It Said. Tunashamed
These Stickers On The Escalator That Appear To Be Encouraging Children To Slide Down Outside The Railing
Numbering System At A Therapists Office
The Logo Of A Store By My House
Toyota Proace Does Not Have Its Drivers Seat Centered To The Steering Wheel And Dashboard
Stainless Steel Clothes Drying Rack.. Except The Screws
"Tear Away" Tag. So That Was A Lie
A Crosswalk To A Literal Dead End On The Other Side
Accessibility Is Key.. So Let's Block It
Impossible To Clean This Food Processor’s Bowl Handle
Pure Fun To Clean
Was Looking For A Bag But This One Doesn't Look Very Spacious
Perfectly Camouflaged Door Stopper To Stub Your Toes
The Quotes Make Me Doubt The Freshness Of Said Baked Goods…
wrong use of quotes AND the word everyday in one sign. well done :)
This Bath Foam Packaging Looks So Much Like Food That They Had To Put Up A Warning Sign Behind It
Plastic Knobs Above The Grill. Awesome
“Good Luck, Blind People” Part II. Braille On A Metal Sheet In The Burning Hot Greek Sun
The New Southwest Signs. People Don’t Know Which Side To Stand On… It Needs Arrows For Those Who Can’t Tell Orange Is Right And Blue Is Left
A Not So Wheelchair Accessible Door That Has A Push-To-Open Only On The Inside
They Used A Brown Gradient To Make The Logo Readable And Accidentally Giving The City A Post-Apocalyptic Smog
I Cannot See Anything Other Than "Pumpkon"
The Van And Equipment At The Local Funfair's Logo. They Advertise As Being Specifically Designed For Children; Somehow, I Have My Doubts
Recently Bought This Drink, And Only Just Now Noticed That It Doesnt Say "Strawberry", It Says "Stwrabrery"
That way they can't get sued for false advertising when it turns out there are no actual strawberries in it
Cangshan Knife Handles All Cracking At The Rivet (Despite Never Being Run In The Dishwasher)
I Read This As “Dpcphsptsthl” Because Someone Thought People Would Just *Know* To Approximate The Greek Letters To Their Rough Latin Lookalikes
Ah Yes, A See-Through “Surprise” Egg
Am I Dumb Or Does This Make No Sense?
Seat Numbers Are Exactly Between The Seats—every Row Had People Sitting In The Wrong Spot Who Had To Get Up And Move
I kind of get everyone downvoting Corwin 02, possibly because of the condescending 'like normal human beings' but I have a local bougie movie theater with seat numbers like this. My first visit (hey, I like bougie movie theaters with reclining seats, downvote away), I just looked at the first seat in the row, saw what side the number was on, and then went to my seat. Honestly, I don't think that's unreasonably difficult. Also, no counting or reciting the alphabet.
Glum Restaurant And Lounge
This Pretty Much Unusable Chessboard Setup The City Built On My Street
I Don’t Know The Difference?
These Type Of Stop Buttons On Busses In Gothenburg, Sweden - Can't Tell You How Many Times I've Accidentally Pushed It With My Leg
Eye Care For Cretins
Apparently The Bot Hates The Fact That Calling Out The Ad Looking Like Peed Dating Was Not Enough To Point Out Bad Design
The Vertical Bunny Rabbit Logo Didn't Fit On The Horizontal Banner So They Just Chopped Off Its Head And Put It On The Ground
It's From A Design School Too
The Logo Of The European Space Agency (Esa) Just Looks Like Eesa
This Ear Thermometer Always Shows The Room Temperature Which Drains The Battery. It Requires A Battery Change Before Use Every Time Because Of It
For A Second, I Thought It Was Binary!
For a moment there I thought it was a fridge thermometer that only goes up to 5c.
No, It Is Not The Actual Size
The picture is the actual size of the picture. They didn't say it was the actual size of the device inside the box. ;) (that's the only way I can defend this, which I'm not doing)
My Kid’s Employee Information Form Had Her Struggling To Decide Between Checking The Checkboxes Or Circling Them…
400€ BBQ, Black Text (Around The Turn Dials) On Black Background
Common Strip Mall Issue. If You Are Going To Provide Protection From The Elements, Why Not Actually Provide Continuous Coverage So That Patrons Can Move Between Businesses Without Getting Wet?
$200 Dollar Fan That I Can’t Turn Off The Lighting. It’s Blinding Bright
A few bits of electrical tape snipped down to the size of the lights works wonders.
At First Glance I Didn't Pick Up On What It Was Saying, I Was Thoroughly Confused. Also For A 19oz That's Pitiful
Lets Put The Pledge Right On The Flag So Everyone Can Read It In Black Comic Sans
And we are supposed to leave religion out of public school, yet the pledge literally says “under god”
Only One Toilet With A Door In Woman’s Restroom
I Don't Think They Know The Purpose Of Directional Block Tactiles
So It’s 3/4 Peppers… From The Right.. And It’s The Hottest?
Backpack That Has Zippers On The Bottom Leading To The Main Bag That Open Up Automatically When You Put Too Much In
Some People Don't Understand What Those Tiles Are For
Tactile Paving Obstacle Race
This Ultra Sharp Knife Has No Way To Lock It Open Or Closed
New Front Steps From A Local Sub
A Girl Smr
Light From Bathroom At 3am In A Hotel Room. Why Can’t It Be A Solid Door
The Plastic Of This Container Lid Is Weaker Than The Bond Between It And The Container Itself
The Stairs To My Bedroom Have A Half Step At The Top
The Word “Choice” And The Look On This Man Seem A Bit Disconnected
The And The
Menu Only Available Through Reflective Qr Code
Walk out, and let them know the reason why on the way to the door.
Wooden Marketplace Us Map Apparently Sold By Hobby Lobby Has Taken Some Serious Liberties With Borders
Nothing Left? So Goon!
This Walmart Has Cart Wheels That Lock When You Cross A Sensor, To Keep People From Stealing Them. They Put The Sensor Inside The Parking Lot So Most Carts Lock Up
First Aid Kit Needs To Be Opened Using Two Fingers Of Each Hand
Seen On An Airplane - What?
That Does Not Look Like An "M"
And they so easily could have made it look like an M by using the rooves of TWO houses.
Guess Which Is Which
I Have An Irrational Fear Of Slipping And Being Impaled By This Bluey Soap With Pointy Plastic Ears
This Lemon Squeezer Packaging Demonstrates How To Use It Incorrectly
It works either way depending on the size of fruit you wish to squeeze. I have used these for years. 'This is my practical experience.
Public Benches That Have Holes But No Way To Clean Them
I've Been Staring At This Sticker On The Bus For 8 Hours, And I Have No Idea What Is Trying To Say
I think it's saying the window doesn't open by going up, it opens by going outward.
From The Ground Floor, Pressing The Uppermost Button Will Take You To -1
Ultra Bright Switchboard Leds
I'm autistic and i had one and I got photophobia and the light was annoying so I put tape to block it. It worked
Definitely The Best Way To Line Up This House Number And Lighting Fixture
They Could Have Made It So Simple
Ford Have Started Putting These Flimsy Fuel Filter Casings On Their Diesel Engines And They're Barely A Step Up From Papermache. Colleague Didn't Even Notice It Had Snapped While Removing Clip On Line
So Ford are buying in part's from Peugeot and Citroen now? (Owned by Stellantis)
Absolute Worst Stove Replacement. Touch Screen That Doesn’t Register Some Of The “Buttons”
I Was So Confused LOL , I Was Thinking “Made In A What”
Supposed to be read as "Made In LA". That LA looks somewhat similar to the logo for the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, but we call Hardees "Carls Jr" here in California. So maybe it stands for Louisiana XD
Airline Just Slapping A Jpeg On Their Plane
White-On-Black Barcode, That Couldn't Be Scanned At The Register
Ad For Cosmetic Enhancements 👁👄👁
New Bike Rack At Local Supervalu Shop - Does This Mean You Can Or Can't Park Your Bike?
My New Zenbook 14 Gets Discolored Each Time You Touch It Even If Your Hands Are Clean
Keurig Made Coffee Machines Impossible To Clean Properly
The Gap Between Seat And Rail Is So Narrow, It's Impossible To Pass Through And Sit In The Middle. Same From The Other Side Of The Desk
My Walking Pad Remote Made The Traditional ⏯️ Button Catapult You To 3mph And I Hit It Every Time I Need To Pause The Workout
My Dad Is Adamant On Adding A Window Here
Here Is A Side-By-Side Picture. This Is From Their Tropical Mix Bag. Two Flavors Both Use A Very Close Yellow. It's Bad Design!
What Is The Dadgum Expiration Date On This Chobani Yogurt Cup???
This ATM Is Too Close To The Drive-Through Teller. When The Teller Is In Use You Can’t Get To The ATM Unless You Get Out Of Your Car
This Clipboard Packaging Is Applied Under The Metal Clip, So If You Rip It While Removing, It Gets Caught There Permanently
If You See Say.. Something Something
Everybody complains about the installation of wheelchair ramps and tactile strips without giving a single thought as to why they're really there. Ramps are for shopping trolleys, people on their mobile phones, prams, strollers, bikes, scooters, inline skates, roller skates, mobility scooters, skateboards, wheeled walkers and people with a walking stick and, rarely, wheelchairs. Tactile strips and buttons, I call them "kid k*llers". Tactile buttons throw people on roller blades scooters and roller skates, can trip people with walking sticks, and interfere with wheeled walkers, prams strollers, bikes etc. In addition, prams, strollers, people with walking sticks can negotiate a single step at the top of a ramp. I have seen a person on a wheelchair arrive at a full lift and, rather than wait for the next lift, take the escalators and arrive on the next floor before the lift. Literally the only instance I've seen where tactile strips are good is on train platforms to warn of the drop off.
Everybody complains about the installation of wheelchair ramps and tactile strips without giving a single thought as to why they're really there. Ramps are for shopping trolleys, people on their mobile phones, prams, strollers, bikes, scooters, inline skates, roller skates, mobility scooters, skateboards, wheeled walkers and people with a walking stick and, rarely, wheelchairs. Tactile strips and buttons, I call them "kid k*llers". Tactile buttons throw people on roller blades scooters and roller skates, can trip people with walking sticks, and interfere with wheeled walkers, prams strollers, bikes etc. In addition, prams, strollers, people with walking sticks can negotiate a single step at the top of a ramp. I have seen a person on a wheelchair arrive at a full lift and, rather than wait for the next lift, take the escalators and arrive on the next floor before the lift. Literally the only instance I've seen where tactile strips are good is on train platforms to warn of the drop off.
