In order to find out how bad planning and design examples like these end up in public and private spaces, we have to break down where they start from. Maybe it’s a client who ordered a questionable design and turned it into reality. Maybe it’s a designer who forgot the functional part of the design. Or it may well be the planners who didn’t take what was needed into account.
“We never realize how much even the smallest detail can affect our everyday lifestyle,” Laura Vanagaite, a Portugal-based graphic designer, told Bored Panda. She shared a couple of insights of what happens and why when objects, buildings, and spaces are designed with such big flaws. “Every single object we use from the morning until the night is designed specifically on how it is supposed to be. But that is not always the case. Functionality is the number one rule in the design and architecture world,” Laura explained.
“But sometimes,” Laura said, “some creative choices are made that make the function not the priority.” And that is where the confusion happens. “From what we have seen in the past, some design solutions are made without thinking of the actual client, a person that will use the product. It applies to everything: website or app design, interior design, furniture, architecture and spatial planning.”
Laura also said that if any of the end product is made without thinking much about the user, it loses its value. “For example, a person downloads an app, it looks nice, the design is modern, it looks beautifully done, but the letters are done in a light color and it is hard to understand what information needs to be filled in. The client gets annoyed and decides to delete the app. In this case, the designer should have thought about the app function and how user-friendly it would be.”
“Another example can be spatial planning,” the graphic designer said. “Let's say that the architects were hired to create a modern working space for a tech company. The finished result looks modern, innovative and... not enough space for the workers to sit properly. Sitting areas are a crucial part of offices because the physical health of the workers determines how productive they will be.”
According to Laura, these types of mistakes can be found in every area: “maybe the logo was wrongly designed and did not reflect the values of the company, maybe the cutlery was designed without thinking about whether left-handed people would be able to use it.”
She also stressed the fact that every designer should think first about the function and the person who will be using the product. “Whether it is a simple app or a huge architectural building, you as the professional should ask ‘What does the client need and what issues do I need to solve to make it easier for them to use it?’” Laura concluded.
