It’s Not You, It’s Bad Design
"If the user can’t use it, it doesn’t work." — Susan Dray, Human Factors and Usability Expert, Usability Professionals’ Association
Ever struggled with a door that doesn’t tell you whether to push or pull? Put your name in the wrong place on a form? Or fumbled with packaging that refuses to open?
It’s not you, it’s bad design.
Every day, we encounter products, services, and environments that make life harder than it needs to be. And yet, so many of us automatically assume our frustrations are a personal failing—like we’re not tech-savvy enough, not reading carefully, or just not getting it. But in reality, experiences like these are usually a symptom bad design.
Bad vs Good Design
"Good design is obvious. Great design is invisible." — Joe Sparano, Designer and Creative Director, Notes on Design
Bad design makes simple tasks frustrating and inefficient. It can make even the most basic interactions—like opening a bag of chips—needlessly difficult.
Good design, on the other hand, makes things easy, intuitive, and even enjoyable to use. And when really good? Then, you flow so seamlessly through the experience that you don’t even notice the design – its invisible.
The Impact On Your Stress is Real
"We spend a lot of time designing the bridge, but not enough time thinking about the people who are crossing it." — Dr. Prabhjot Singh, Director of Systems Design at The Earth Institute, TED Talk
Often, it’s not just a moment of frustration – and I think it’s important to recognize the impact it can have on you, depending on how easily triggered you are, or what mood you happen to be in..
Try to avoid the post-traumatic-stress that might arise while reading this, but imagine you’re already dealing with something difficult – you just got some critical feedback, bad news, or just haven’t gotten to all the things you want to get to and you’re speeding through your day. You’re carrying this weight. You’re thoughts are bent on it. You’re not even paying attention to what your doing when walk right at a door with a flat plate on it that clearly signifies that you push it to open it .But instead of breezing through the door and continuing your uninterrupted string of thoughts, the door doesn’t budge and you slam your body into it!
I believe the acronym you’d be looking for in this moment is, WTF.
Not only did it hurt, but every stranger around you is now staring at you waiting for your next move. In better times, you’d shake your head, rub your elbow, and try giving the door a pull. In the worst of times, you turn red and immediately hate the fact that you can’t kick the door with all your might.
Why? Because someone made a choice to design a door designed to hurt you.
This door situation is super common, as I’m sure you recognize, and generally people will forget about the occurrence within a few minutes – but the body remembers.
For Designers, It’s Love-Hate
I’ve come across, what feels like, an infinite amount of examples of bad design. Which means that I’ve spent way too much time being frustrated, trying to accomplish what I thought was going to be an easy and fast task.
As an experience designer, I don’t forget these moments as easily as most people. Actually, I never forget them. This is mostly because my first reaction in these moments isn’t self-effacement, it’s the thought, “why the heck didn’t they [enter design solution here]?”
Some of us find ourselves in the experience-design world for the simple fact that solving experience problems feels like second nature – and we frickin’ love it. So, as much as I hate when bad design stops mew in my tracks, I get all the kicks from coming up with solution possibility.
A Perfect Example, Get This…
This faucet killed me. I won’t name names, but a certain trillion-dollar mouse-inspired cruise ship needs to pay more attention to people using its amenities.
How would you operate this faucet and soap dispenser?
Check this out. Pushing down on the “power” symbol starts the water flow. Doing it again stops it. How do you make it hotter or colder? You twist it left or right, of course! But don’t push down on the soap dispenser that looks the exact same – that’s got a hand sensor.
That’s UX, Baby
"A user interface is like a joke. If you have to explain it, it’s not that good." — Martin LeBlanc, CEO of Iconfinder, UX Magazine
All of these frustrations—whether it’s opening a package, finding your way through a building, or assembling furniture—come down to design that ignores how people actually interact with things.
This is what UX (User Experience) design is about. Good UX doesn’t just apply to apps and websites—it applies to everything people use. The best-designed products and experiences feel effortless because they are built with real people in mind.
Next time you find yourself struggling with something that should be simple, remember: It’s not you. It’s bad design. And recognizing that is the first step toward demanding better.
Have You Experienced Bad Design?
What’s a frustrating design fail you’ve encountered? Share your story in the comments—I’d love to hear your experiences!
