Good/bad design

[bungeejumper]

You know when you're trying to load up your computer with the photo files from the SD card that you've just extracted from your camera? Or from your dashcam?

Well, I'd like to get my fingers around the scrawny throat of whoever it was who first decided that a pitch-black slot in a pitch-black computer body would be a good place to insert a pitch-black SD card - usually in the lost, half-dark space underneath your desk.

And particularly, a black SD card that needs to be mounted one particular way round.

And my next worst personal hate would be any smart-@rse on TLF who points out that I could have bought a pound shop card reader that would have allowed me to read the card from any USB port of my choosing. I hope yer rabbits die.

BJ

[Tedx]

Maybe not good or bad design, but why are some things found on cars and not in houses?

Central locking. Commonplace on a car. Would be amazing in a house. Heated seats. Sounds logical to me - particularly with price of energy these days. A sunroof on your house would be cool as would a boot for safely stowing stuff away. A horn, for giving someone you know a quick toot as they walk by. A battery for storing energy when its cheap. It's own electricity generator, A sound system for the whole property. A central dashboard for controlling everything.

[Nimrod103]

Maybe not good or bad design, but why are some things found on cars and not in houses?

Central locking. Commonplace on a car. Would be amazing in a house. Heated seats. Sounds logical to me - particularly with price of energy these days. A sunroof on your house would be cool as would a boot for safely stowing stuff away. A horn, for giving someone you know a quick toot as they walk by. A battery for storing energy when its cheap. It's own electricity generator, A sound system for the whole property. A central dashboard for controlling everything.

Perhaps even electrically operated window wipers?

[Nimrod103]

Bad design: Wheelbarrows. Because of the design of most wheelbarrows you have to bend forward to move them which is bad for the back. They should have longer handles which are roughly parallel to the ground when lifted so that they can be moved whilst standing upright not bent forward.

You can get those. (Although the real art of barrowing is to put all the heavy stuff as far forward as possible.)

There are also builders' barrows that are narrow enough to go through a 27 inch doorway. Now those really are useful!

BJ

Wheelbarrow design could do with a lot of improvement. I have just had to replace the pneumatic wheel supplied, with a new spongy rubber one which will never puncture. I don't understand why a wheelbarrow wheel needs to be inflatable.

Another poor design - why do baths, sinks, shower trays etc have horizontal shelf surrounds? The edges should slope inwards so that splashed water does not accumulate in puddles where it is difficult to clean and mould starts to build up. Or am I just too vigorous with washing?

[simsqu]

Poor design - those toilet bowls which refuse to flush a slightly oversized deposit. You all know what I mean and you all know of such a toilet bowl.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=the+f ... ZklwTGZutc

[Nimrod103]

Poor design - those toilet bowls which refuse to flush a slightly oversized deposit. You all know what I mean and you all know of such a toilet bowl.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=the+f ... ZklwTGZutc

Have the Germans got a better idea?
ttps://wonderfulengineering.com/know-german-toilet-design-different-rest-world-wisdom-behind/

[bungeejumper]

Have the Germans got a better idea?
ttps://wonderfulengineering.com/know-german-toilet-design-different-rest-world-wisdom-behind/

(Suggest that you amend that address by adding a preliminary "h" so as to read "https")

Oh, indeed. German toilets have been designed that way since the late nineteenth century, and although they're going out of fashion now, they can still intimidate upon first acquaintance.

It's been said that the German fascination with bodily functions goes a long way toward understanding the warlike psyche that characterised the best part of a century. (Discipline, timing, regularity, obedience to nanny, and all that.) There have been serious psychological works that blame the two world wars on Teutonic potty training. May be true, may not. But Germans do still find crap hilariously funny in a way that other nations don't seem to get at all. Oh well......

BJ

[Dicky99]

Worst example of flawed design for me is the lumbar region of my spine. It has been unfit for purpose since my mid twenties and I'm led to believe that I'm in good company with many others.

[Nimrod103]

Worst example of flawed design for me is the lumbar region of my spine. It has been unfit for purpose since my mid twenties and I'm led to believe that I'm in good company with many others.

Well if we are talking about human body design, would any intelligent environmental engineer place one of the sewage discharge outlets in a recreational area?

[88V8]

Bad design... touch screens in cars.

Good and bad design in the same device... the electric gear selector in the R-R Silver Shadow, a superb fingertip device, but if one inadvertently catches it with one's hand whilst exiting with the engine running, it will select reverse and off goes two tons of car.
Our car wiped its driver's door off on a gatepost, other cars have been known to fall off inspection ramps.

V8

[servodude]

Worst example of flawed design for me is the lumbar region of my spine. It has been unfit for purpose since my mid twenties and I'm led to believe that I'm in good company with many others.

Well if we are talking about human body design, would any intelligent environmental engineer place one of the sewage discharge outlets in a recreational area?

Pre or post EU regulations to the contrary?

[servodude]

Bad design... touch screens in cars.
.

Screens in cars!

You can be at 60mph before you've finished reading the bit on the screen of an RS3 that's telling you not to look at the screen!

Also any UI that requires a menu and rotary switch to do what you used to with a button, while the user is driving, should have the designer flayed.