Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
We've all heard about crappy design, something that turns a blind eye to user-friendliness, logic and common sense, aesthetics, and people in general. We’re talking billboards, TV ads, product packaging and product design, websites and apps, you name it.
The phenomenon of crappy design is that no matter how much our marketing strategies and advertising techniques have evolved in the past decades, it still finds its place in our daily lives. Check out some examples of crappy design in Bored Panda’s previous features here, here and here.
This time, we are taking a step further. Sometimes the design is so annoying, senseless and defunct that it seems like the brands are doing this deliberately or at least without shame. There’s even a whole corner of reddit dedicated to cases “when a*** design things.”
With a whopping 2.9 million members, the community pokes fun at the mentality that “nothing comes before profit, especially not the consumer.” Below, we wrapped up some of the evilest designs, so let us know what you think of them in the comments!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Ah Station Design
RELATED:
#3
Appstore For You
Bad design can be found everywhere, from the products we use every day to the websites we visit. Poorly designed products can be difficult to use, causing us to waste time and energy. They can also be dangerous, as faulty product or packaging designs can lead to accidents.
Meanwhile, websites with bad design can be hard to navigate, preventing us from finding the information we need. They can also be visually unappealing, making us less likely to return. At the same time app can have a very bad user experience which means people will be reluctant to use it. From confusing navigation to cluttered layouts, anyone can spot a very poor design.
#4
Brand New Protein Powder, Not Even Filled Half Whey
#5
Felt Like This Sub Would Appreciate This Statement
#6
Screw You Pinterest
Your content fills up and pollutes the search engine results yet people can’t even view your bulls**t user-submitted content without signing up for a damn account. Going to add to you to my Personal Blocklist so you don’t appear in my searches and waste my time anymore.
Jrog 3 years ago
Pinterest is a cesspool. I found some of my facebook photos had been uploaded on pinterest. A girl (wannabe maker/influencer/scammer) reuploaded them with her watermark and used them as example of her creations. Had to subscribe to the website to report the images, and after weeks of waiting... nothing happened. Zero answers, support or even an automated mail. In the meanwhile those images were stolen by others and popped around for a while on other websites, mostly on ads of promoting scams. Stopped uploading my work anywhere.
Jerk designs seem to take a step further than simply bad designs and come across as downright unethical and immoral. They snuck their way into the products and services we consume, and sometimes we don’t even notice them.
According to Danny Sapio, the lead product designer at Method and cofounder of Confettihabits.com, shrinkflation is a classic case of less product and more profit. “Companies use this tactic to discreetly sell less of a product at the same price that it was before.”
Moreover, Sapio argues that “companies can do this through labeling by displaying “FAMILY SIZE” or “PARTY SIZE” despite it being the same amount as the regular item.” For us, the unsuspecting shoppers, it’s something that’s really easy to miss.
#7
Trashy Company
#8
Hellofresh. If I Don’t Need To Call To Make Orders, I Shouldn’t Need To Call To Unsubscribe
#9
Cashing In On That *cough*
Another great example of jer design practices is the use of lethal enforcers. They require the user to take the action that the company wants before they can do what they intend to do.
“Lethal enforcers are essentially a way that companies gatekeep the decision making for users. Instead of giving users a free choice, the company decides for the individual the decision that should be made then makes that their only choice,” Sapio explained.
An example of a lethal enforcer is when you want to write a review on Yelp but have to download the brand’s app first. “Or when a company suppresses relevant search results to display sponsored products or content.”
#10
I Want My Money Back
#11
I Chose The Bottle Because A Tube Wasn't Enough! This Trojan Trickery Is An Abuse Coming From A Brand With Recognition
Hippopotamuses 3 years ago
Well here’s a company that cares FA about both its customers and the environment.
#12
Bought These Sticky Notes Cause I Thought The Gold Border Was Nice
Sapio also urges to look out for one of the trick questions known as the loaded questions. They take an advantage of our good nature. “We assume that we don’t need to read the entire question because we’ve already collected the information we need to answer it.”
#13
Natural Is A Trademark
Another very shady design practice is throttling. “Throttling is when a company intentionally downgrades the service or product with the hopes that the customer upgrade. This is different than forced obsolescence because the product still works; it’s just much slower and shittier than it used to be,” the product designer explained.
It turns out that even giant brands like Apple have been found guilty of this. Apple has settled a class-action lawsuit over its practice of slowing down older iPhones, agreeing to pay up to $500 million to impacted consumers.
“Another example is ‘unlimited’ data providers that sneakily slow down internet speeds once they pass a certain threshold of data usage,” Sapio concluded.
#16
Youtuber Gets Every Single Video On His Channel Copyright Claimed Despite Having The Rights To All The Music In His Videos
#17
This Mcdonalds Menu
Mohsie Supposie 3 years ago
Just hold up the queue on purpose till the ad finishes, so you can choose what you want!
The Silly Stellar Jay 3 years ago
I wonder if companies realize that this is the kind of thing that drives customers away?
Michael Largey 3 years ago
Considering the effect McDonald's food has on the public's health, this is a good thing.
Load More Replies...
Nunya Business 3 years ago
McDonald's do you want to sell food or have people watch TV? Make up your mind.
F. Jeske 3 years ago
Yes, that is also in Holland. Takes me now much more time to order since I need to wait until my choice reappears.
Lady Lava 3 years ago
Most Dutch McDonald's restaurants have ordering terminals nowadays, and I see that most guests are using those, instead of ordering at the counter. So the menu above the counter is less being used. But it's not very hospitable towards guests who can't use an ordering terminal, for whatever reason.
Load More Replies...
Ellen Midgley 3 years ago
Costa in the UK does a similar thing, except it flicks through different parts of the menu. Didn't finish reading the hot drinks? Too bad, got wait whilst it cycles through the specials, cold drinks, and an add first.
ALEXANDER DALE 3 years ago (edited)
They added these ads because they have computers in most shops in USA where you can order from a menu. That is my theory anyways.
BadCat 3 years ago
They are wanting customers to use the app and digital menu boards. There was one McD's where the manager would walk up to the line and tell people they can use the menu boards if they were paying by card. Not many want to touch the greasy, grimy things.
Load More Replies...
Ed Brandon 3 years ago
Then don't go in McDonald's. It's a rip off, the food isn't remotely nourishing or healthy, they're a horrible company, and this is how much they respect you. Vote with your feet.
Brent Fisher 3 years ago
Kind of like those 1980s digital wristwatches where the digits flash while you are trying to set the time....thing is...if it flashes...that means the time display is unreadable half of the time. H.F.M.=Human Factors Matter.
Heather Talma 3 years ago
I hate any menu that does not show the entire menu at once with a PASSION.
Rita Rose 3 years ago
It's completely OK and perfectly normal to have different taste. I personally do not like Starbucks coffee and much prefer the sweet, creamy Tim Hortons. I know many would disagree and that's OK :)
Load More Replies... Nathan Wolfe 3 years ago
Apparently, McDonald's wasn't making enough money by underpayment their employees, so they had to start selling ad space.
Henry Crank 3 years ago
Yeah they're obviously down on hard times and not making enough money so you know... Ads 🙄🙄
Jude Laskowski 3 years ago
The only item I've ever bought at McDonald's is coffee, and for the senior price.
Dorothy Cloud 3 years ago
Just another reason why I haven't bought anything from them in over 50 YEARS
Karen Philpott 3 years ago
I'm sorry but I can not be bothered with this bs. Rather go to Burger King or KFC, or buy pizza from Hell.
EM 3 years ago (edited)
I absolutely detest these new moving menus... you're looking for an item to order, or comparing prices on 2 options, or even just trying ro find your item...when...BAM!!! the menu screen changes... floats off... scrolls up, down , right, or left. What time wasting Bullshyt is this??? *5 mins later*.... At this point, the people in line behind me are getting miffed, because I'm ordering for 4 different family members. Placing an order now takes 3x the amount of time it used to as you wait thru 5 screen changes for the menu screen to return!!! The author of this brainchild should be taken out and publicly flogged!!! So much for "FAST" food!!!!!
pink_panda 3 years ago
Pretty sure they're slowing down gas pumps too to make you sit through more ads.
Burtaverde 3 years ago
Even the normal menus that change every 30 second. There's a huge list of stuff with options, 30 seconds isn't enough to choose what i want unless i didn't need it in the first place
Susan Mercurio 3 years ago
Don't eat that junk food at McDonald's anyway. Pack your lunch. Read Fast Food Nation to find out what McDonald's is doing to the economy, the planet, and your life.
Weirdest Bi You’ll Ever Meet 3 years ago
They do this one purpose to make you stay longer to make sure you buy more. It’s like “I’ve been here forever, let’s make it worth my time” sorta thing
JP Doyle 3 years ago
Plus, the normal menu has 3 pages for each screen. By the time I find the section I'm looking for it's moved to the next screen. Takes me 5 or six tries to find what I want, but then it has the nutritional values in big numbers, but the price is shown in small script. And it's for the full meal, never just the sandwich.
Jules Marten-Feldmann 3 years ago
I've found a lot of fat food places do this over the last years. KFC is particularly bad
Dekker451 3 years ago
If you're picky enough to not know what you want before you get to a fast food place, then maybe that's not the right kind of restaurant for you. It's not as if you need to ask the waiter if the Big Macs are in-season. Everything is the same at all locations pretty much every time. Chains do that deliberately so you know what to expect nö matter where you go. Or you could at least order on the app so you can take as much time as you want to decide without holding up the line. And that way most chains will give you loyalty rewards too.
Jensen Happily Married Curry 3 years ago
You don't know by now what McDonald's has on their menu?
Blue lives matter 3 years ago
How do you not know what you want from McDonalds?!? (Not trying to be rude, but I feel as everybody knows what’s on the menu)
Analee Frolic 3 years ago
Those who support America's obesity epidemic deserve far worse than being annoyed by ads. Of course eating fast food will get them just that.
#18
Both Weigh 500g But The Green One Is In A 30% "Bigger Bag More To Share"
Adam Chang 3 years ago
Customer: it's a bigger bag with more chips. Company: no no, it's just a bigger bag
#19
Cup Design That Makes The Drink Look Like It Has Actual Fruit
#20
Disney Leaves The Inside Of Their $6 Icecream Hollow
#21
The Sticker Was A Lie
#22
Amazon Prime Video Doesn't Tell You If A Show Is Unavailable In Your Country Until After You Subscribe To Amazon Prime
#23
This Design Pisses Me Off Every Single Day
#24
Unremovable Ads On My $2,500 Samsung Smart TV
#25
Spending $175 On A Textbook Only To Receive A 2 Inch Stack Of Unbound Papers. Binder Sold Separately!
#26
Dislikes Helped You Know If A Video Was A Scam, Misleading Or Had False Information
Hippopotamuses 3 years ago (edited)
Read: We intend to continue to host questionable content as long as it generates revenue for us, and no, we’re not going be transparent about it, because that will obviously also affect our revenue.
#27
Literal Hell For Budget Flyers - Standing Seats
#28
Hey This Hotel Room Is Only $99 A Night, Great Deal!!!
Mohsie Supposie 3 years ago
They should have just said the hotel is FREE, then charge the $99 as a booking fee or something. Who wouldn't like a FREE hotel, eh?
#29
They Replaced Half The Mirrors In My Local Shopping Mall's Bathroom With Advertising Boards!
#30
Heard We Are Having A Rigged Democracy Binge
#31
The Fact That You Can't Uninstall Facebook On Certain Phones
#32
They Decided To Completely Cover Their Tenants' Windows With Ads Because Who Needs Natural Light And Fresh Air?
#33
My Work Place’s ‘Low Plastic, Recyclable Eco-Pens’ Have A Secret At Their Core
#34
My Age Preferences Are There For A Reason, Tinder
#35
Keurig Sensor Blocks Your Brew Unless It's "K-Cup Compatible", Aka Has Scannable Foil. Slap On An Old Foil To A 3rd Party Cup And Suddenly No Issue
#36
Such A Great Deal!
#37
My Chinese "Smart TV" Plays A 15 Second Chevrolete Commercial Every Time I Turn It On
#38
Perfectly Fine Lighters With No Way To Refuel Them... Planned Obsolescence Is Asshole Design And Terrible For The Environment
#39
As**ole School System Charging Kids For Lunch And Then Blaming Parents
#40
My Printer Just Did A Firmware Update And No Longer Recognizes My Third-Party Ink
#41
Shrinkflation Used By Cadbury To Literally Cut Corners. The Bottom Chocolate Bar Is More Than 8 Percent Smaller
That other Panda 3 years ago
Mess with my sandwich, mess with my glue… BUT DO NOT MESS WITH MY CHOCOLATE
#42
5$ Pen Size vs. Ink
#43
Designed For Dissuading The Homeless. Literally Just Uncomfortable For Everyone Else
That other Panda 3 years ago
Why do people do this stuff? Like, if you dont want people to sleep on the streets, there are infinitely better things to do
#44
8% Alcohol Or
#45
Food Delivery Service That Tells You “Someone Is At The Door! Okay We Lied”
#46
I Wish My Professors Graded Like This
#47
Press Dismiss To Update This Printer
#48
Facebook, I'm Beyond Words
#49
Tenerife Airport Shows Ads On The Flight Information Screens Every Few Minutes (For At Least A Minute), So If You're Unlucky You Have To Wait Before Knowing Which Gate To Go To
#50
F**k You Vegas
#51
Makes Me Want To Cancel Even Harder
Little_redheaded_girl 3 years ago
They will try to offer the craziest deals if only they can get you to stay. It took me 20 minutes to finally cancel.
#52
I Love Ads On My £250 Console That I Continue To Pay £6 A Month To Play On
#53
New Instagram "Feature"
Labellesouris 3 years ago
I quit Instagram last week. The new shenanigans are more than I can take. I just don't need that much advertising for overpriced t-shirts
#54
I Would Like To Thank Suave For Increasing The Size Of Their Bottle By -17%
#55
They Knew What They Were Doing. It Was Perfectly Placed In The Box
#56
By Opening The Envelope For The License Agreement, You Agree To It
#57
My $2,500 TV Has "Sponsored Content" Built Into The Menu
Labellesouris 3 years ago
That show is really awesome(I love Lucy) but the advertisements put a damper on it. Honest question, why are they doing this? It's not like they are startups
#58
Wanted To Cancel My Subscription... Now I Have To Talk To Someone
BlackestDawn 3 years ago
Every country should have a law that states that ending an account/subscription must be as easy and convenient as it is to starting it.
#59
My $200 Textbook Won’t Let Me Copy Paste More Then 84 Words To Make A Study Guide
#60
Price Was $5.76. Can Only Pay With Quarters
#61
Sony's $330 Headphones Doesn’t Work With A Ps4
#62
Chipotle Goes All-Out Advertising That For The Next Week Delivery Is Free, And Then Casually Makes The Delivery Menu Priced Higher Than The Regular One
BadCat 3 years ago
Reminds me of Pizza Pizza. Every now and then their site's online delivery ordering doesn't work. It just stays buffering or crashes when you want to pay. When you call in to report the issue (not order) they immediately start an order for you, and don't want to listen about their website. When you say you want the same deal with the online coupon they tell you it's only available on the website. I've refused making an order when that happens.
#63
These Bluetooth Headphones Have To Be Permanently Plugged In To Provide Power
Nicole Weymann 3 years ago
That one's arguably the stupidest and most impudent so far: You specifically buy bluetooth pods so you're not leashed to your phone and they not only kill that single advantage but have the audacity to advertize with "never needs charging"! OF COURSE I DOESN'T IF THERE'S NO BATTERY AND IT'S CONSTANTLY PLUGGED IN!
#64
Apple’s Proprietary USB A Extension Cable
#65
The $20 Toilet Paper My Auntie Bought (On The Right) On Amazon Compared To A Normal Roll (On The Left)
#66
Powerade Is Using Shrinkflation By Replacing Their 32oz Drinks With 28oz And Stores Are Charging The Same Amount
#67
Youtube Lets You Purchase A Movie, But Still Age Blocks You
TheAquarius1978 3 years ago
Well lol, if you are age " blockable " you shouldnt be buying anything online, because lets face it, there is 99.9% chances you're using your parents card, and they should be the ones buying it.
#68
Packaging That Tricks You
#69
Can We All Agree Having To Pay For A Human Necessity Is A Major As**ole Design?
Sarah Richardson 3 years ago
No, we can’t. The toilets are always kept clean, an attendant is always on duty and no-one is ever just hanging around in there doing god knows what. If the bogs are open, an employee is there somewhere. It’s also a lot safer - I’d rather use a paid toilet at the railway station late in the evening than anywhere else.
#70
2k19 Is A Retail 60$ Game. They Put Non Skippable Ads In From Another Company
#71
Apple Using Different Wallpapers And Trying To Make Us Believe The Pro And The Pro Max Has No "Notch" Compared To The Base Model
#72
You Can't Play Doom I And II Offline On Switch Without Creating A Bethesda Account
#73
They Took Away The In-Store Signage To Force You To Download Their App
Rob Chapman 3 years ago
Um...no. I despise Walmart, but this isn't even remotely true. The circled area highlighting the missing price tags is an overstock area. You can clearly see the price tags on all the other shelves. That...and this photo was posted on Reddit 2 years ago.
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Nathaniel 3 years ago
Can we talk about the horrific design behind the downvoting system on this site? Down votes are not dislikes, downvotes get you suspended and then banned. And there are anonymous trolls who follow popular Pandas and downvote comments for no rhyme or reason.
Crouching hippo hidden panda 3 years ago
I got banned for a day last week, I backtracked my comments and I hadn’t written anything polarizing or remotely vulgar/offensive etc. i still for the life of me can’t figure out why I was banned and I tried to ask BP for clarification but zilch
Load More Replies...
Elliot Fowler 3 years ago
Screw this. This fight against greedy capitalistic demons will never be won if our only hope is waiting for gov official to protect the people. We need to bring back the guillotine and go all french on these bastards.
Pirates of Zen Pants 3 years ago
Bad sirs, you sit on a throne of lies. Thirty percent more lies, to be exact.
Alan Green 3 years ago
Can we add Amazon delivery times to the list? (or did I miss it?) So many times I see "Buy within the next 3 hours to receive it TODAY" So i buy it as i really need it quick only to see. . "Estimated delivery time: TOMORROW". . . Why Amazon? WHY?
Madeleine 3 years ago
The main problem is that it isn’t sustainable to expect people who are poorly paid and poorly treated to bring you whatever you want on the same day you order it.
Load More Replies...
Uber Mensch 3 years ago
1> It took a site 30 seconds to start sending spam to my email, but they want up to 10 days to make it STOP? 2> "... and other natural flavors" - wtf?
Gary Adams 3 years ago
One of my favorites was the label on a Mr Goodbar. It proudly proclaimed, "Now! More peanuts!" I suppose it wouldn't help sales if they advertised it as having less chocolate.
An Unpopular Opinion. 3 years ago
Dumb design: Disney Plus doesn't even have all the Disney / marvel movies and it makes me mad 'cause like??? Why does it cost that much then, if you're gonna make people pay to watch the movies that aren't there too- Signed, a girl who got bored and thought she'd watch Spider-Man, the old ones OR into the spider verse and none were there
Will Cable 3 years ago
Can we include Youtube thumbnails for videos that do not feature in any form whatsoever within the video.
Bouche Clay 3 years ago
I can see why you'd consider it humiliating, but all I thought was how impressed I was that you were willing to give the inside view. Super bad s**t can happen to anyone, and we only think we have control of our situations.
Model Fact 3 years ago
Stellar journalism as always: 1) Report on what someone said 2) Report on what a bunch of nobodies ("Twitter user Katy") said about it. 3) Publish it under the assumption that it qualifies as journalism.
Gavin Johnson 3 years ago
And yet with a quick scroll through you’ll easily find Japanese companies, U.K. companies, Chinese, American, and a few that have no clear country. If the agenda is attacking the U.S. then they are certainly mixing plenty of other nations in there. As for anti-capitalism that’s because these issues relate to being conned by companies, perhaps if they put customers first rather than profit they’d represent capitalism a bit better? It MAY be that capitalism isn’t as good as it could be? It MAY be that you are sucking a bit too much from the capitalism teat? Defending the big business who’ll strip all of your assets is a little hmmm sheepish ain’t it?
Load More Replies... Nathaniel 3 years ago
Can we talk about the horrific design behind the downvoting system on this site? Down votes are not dislikes, downvotes get you suspended and then banned. And there are anonymous trolls who follow popular Pandas and downvote comments for no rhyme or reason.
Crouching hippo hidden panda 3 years ago
I got banned for a day last week, I backtracked my comments and I hadn’t written anything polarizing or remotely vulgar/offensive etc. i still for the life of me can’t figure out why I was banned and I tried to ask BP for clarification but zilch
Load More Replies... Elliot Fowler 3 years ago
Screw this. This fight against greedy capitalistic demons will never be won if our only hope is waiting for gov official to protect the people. We need to bring back the guillotine and go all french on these bastards.
Pirates of Zen Pants 3 years ago
Bad sirs, you sit on a throne of lies. Thirty percent more lies, to be exact.
Alan Green 3 years ago
Can we add Amazon delivery times to the list? (or did I miss it?) So many times I see "Buy within the next 3 hours to receive it TODAY" So i buy it as i really need it quick only to see. . "Estimated delivery time: TOMORROW". . . Why Amazon? WHY?
Madeleine 3 years ago
The main problem is that it isn’t sustainable to expect people who are poorly paid and poorly treated to bring you whatever you want on the same day you order it.
Load More Replies... Uber Mensch 3 years ago
1> It took a site 30 seconds to start sending spam to my email, but they want up to 10 days to make it STOP? 2> "... and other natural flavors" - wtf?
Gary Adams 3 years ago
One of my favorites was the label on a Mr Goodbar. It proudly proclaimed, "Now! More peanuts!" I suppose it wouldn't help sales if they advertised it as having less chocolate.
An Unpopular Opinion. 3 years ago
Dumb design: Disney Plus doesn't even have all the Disney / marvel movies and it makes me mad 'cause like??? Why does it cost that much then, if you're gonna make people pay to watch the movies that aren't there too- Signed, a girl who got bored and thought she'd watch Spider-Man, the old ones OR into the spider verse and none were there
Will Cable 3 years ago
Can we include Youtube thumbnails for videos that do not feature in any form whatsoever within the video.
Bouche Clay 3 years ago
I can see why you'd consider it humiliating, but all I thought was how impressed I was that you were willing to give the inside view. Super bad s**t can happen to anyone, and we only think we have control of our situations.
Model Fact 3 years ago
Stellar journalism as always: 1) Report on what someone said 2) Report on what a bunch of nobodies ("Twitter user Katy") said about it. 3) Publish it under the assumption that it qualifies as journalism.
Gavin Johnson 3 years ago
And yet with a quick scroll through you’ll easily find Japanese companies, U.K. companies, Chinese, American, and a few that have no clear country. If the agenda is attacking the U.S. then they are certainly mixing plenty of other nations in there. As for anti-capitalism that’s because these issues relate to being conned by companies, perhaps if they put customers first rather than profit they’d represent capitalism a bit better? It MAY be that capitalism isn’t as good as it could be? It MAY be that you are sucking a bit too much from the capitalism teat? Defending the big business who’ll strip all of your assets is a little hmmm sheepish ain’t it?
Load More Replies... You May Like 155 Funniest Design Fails 88 Funny Graphic Design Fails Reminding Us That No, Not Anyone Can Do It 93 Graphic Design Fails So Atrocious That We Wonder How They Were Approved
Julija Nėjė
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Related on Bored Panda
