26 Baffling Design Choices Found in the Wild (June 9, 2024)

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

Jun 9, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

Am I the only one that pushes a "pull" door about once a week? If designs are supposed to be intuitive, then why does it seem like I'm constantly being a doofus? You know a design is done right when you have no choice but to use it correctly. You look at it, you know what it does, and you know how to use it. That's true design elegance. Take, for instance, the iPad. Chillingly, you can give it to a toddler and they will figure out how to use it before you can say "Bluey."

But on the other hand, take the eyelash curler. At first glance, it looks like a torture device befitting of a medieval tyrant. You can't possibly imagine that it was made to give your eyelashes a little boost. Does that mean it's a bad design? No. It's an excellent way to confuse most men. But the following designs… now those might be bad ideas.