80 Times Common Sense Took A Day Off During The Design Phase

Some may argue that a few design “fails” featured on this list aren’t all bad. After all, imperfect work can have its own appeal. So what makes a design bad? Is it all aesthetics? 

Researcher and Nielsen Norman Group co-founder Jakob Nielsen says it all boils down to one key factor: usability. He explains that it “makes designs easy, efficient, and satisfying to use.”

But what exactly is usability? Nielsen defines it as a quality attribute defined by five quality components: learnability (how easy it is for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time), efficiency (how quickly users can perform tasks), memorability (how easy it is for a user to establish proficiency after a period of not using it), errors (the number of mistakes users make and how severe they are), and satisfaction (this is self-explanatory). 

Nielsen also pointed out another key factor alongside usability: utility. And it should answer one important question: “Does it do what users need?”

But the bigger question is: why are companies producing badly designed products in the first place? According to an article by author and speaker Scott Berkun, one possible reason is that universities treat technology and design as separate subjects. 

“Absent from required classes, then or today, are the interdisciplinary insights that are essential to designing good things for people. Instead, students are taught to build things that function technically but not humanely,” wrote Berkun, who studied computer science at Carnegie Mellon University.

Berkun also pointed out that engineers and designers tend to assume that what works for them will also work for everyone else. He says the damaging effect of thinking “what’s good for me is good for all” runs deep in society. 

“Without expert help, we are all prone to forgetting that a design that’s intuitive to us can simultaneously be confusing to others,” Berkun explained.

According to Berkun, the onus of becoming more educated about good design shouldn’t fall solely on designers. He says this applies to everyone, from consumers to business leaders. 

“This is often as simple as valuing design experts enough to listen to them at the start of projects when the important decisions are made, rather than at the end when their advice will be far too late,” Berkun said.

Not all of us are design experts, but we all know good design should make our lives easier. But as these examples show, not every designer seems to get that memo. Sometimes, there is nothing left to do but laugh it off and accept it as a fact of life. 

Which of these photos confused you the most? And have you ever encountered a design that made you wonder whether common sense was involved? Let us know in the comments!