In his bestselling book The Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman makes a sharp observation: there’s no such thing as “human error,” only flawed design.
So if you’ve ever hesitated at a door labeled “pull,” wrestled with the impossible plastic packaging on a slice of cheese, or spent your first day at a new job trying to decode the office coffee machine like it’s a riddle, you’re not alone—and you’re not to blame.
The truth is, design shapes how we move through the world, and when it fails, it’s worth talking about. That’s exactly what Redditors have been doing: calling out popular products that, despite being everywhere, still manage to frustrate.
Scroll down to see which ones hit a nerve for you too.
#2
Scissors that are in packaging that can't really be opened with anything other than scissors.
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4points
#4
Every modern car with a touchscreen instead of buttons. It's just dangerous and needs banning.
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3points
#6
Food packages that are resealable but the glue they use is to adhere the seal zip to the bag is weaker than the seal. So when you go to re-open the seal, the seal zip pulls away from the bag and there goes the resealable feature.
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2points
#7
Anything I had to adjust as a left handed person to use because the standard is right handed only.
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2points
#8
Successfully getting plastic wrap pulled to the length needed, cut and actually placed on the item in a nice rectangle or square.
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2points
#9
The ‘push here’ perforated part of a cardboard box (like a box of kosher salt or corn starch) that NEVER works and instead just dents the box and makes it even harder to open.
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1point
#10
Why don’t toilets have a pedal you can step on to raise and lower the seat?
If you stand to pee, put one foot on the pedal and it will lift the seat. Walk away and it will go down automatically.
If you stand to pee, put one foot on the pedal and it will lift the seat. Walk away and it will go down automatically.
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1point
#12
Expiration dates on food packaging. It seems like it’s always a scavenger hunt to find them. It should be standard that they are always on the “front” main label.
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1point
#13
Shampoo and conditioner labels that look identical if you aren't wearing glasses. I have an idea for a brand called Shampoo (or conditioner) for People with Glasses, and the first letter of Shampoo is enormous.
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1point
#15
Hand soap pump bottles with the tube that’s not long enough to get out all the soap.
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1point
#16
Trying to "type" anything on a search with the TV remote is excruciating. It's 2025, is this the best we can do?
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1point
#17
Any kind of squeeze bottle that can't be stood on its head. Ketchup, mustard, shampoo, conditioner, etc. When it's almost empty, let me stand it upside down so the last bit can flow to the opening!
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1point
#18
Shampoo bottles that flip open so easily in luggage but NEVER when you’re in the shower with slippery hands.
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1point
#19
The doors in bathroom stalls. Why is the gap so big? And why do they insist on making them swing inward on such a small space? I practically have to climb the toilet to get around the door to get out.
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1point
#20
The clear plastic film on things like potato salad with a tiniest little tab you are supposed to grab to pull it off. And the indestructible battery packaging.
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1point