
Useless design features in modern products - nairteashop
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20171023-the-useless-design-features-in-modern-products
======
Chaebixi
> Jeans of all brands still have antiquated watch pockets, now too small to be
> useful

I disagree. They make great coin pockets, which also helps keep my phone from
getting scratched up by the coins.

Things can still be useful for reasons other than their original purpose.

~~~
derefr
I bought a pair of trousers recently that have a small pocket embedded rather
deep into the right pocket, which seemingly isn't a watch pocket—it's a
different size.

Interestingly, it snugly fits (the bottom half of) my iPhone 6 (without case.)
I put it in that inner pocket, and it prevents it from bouncing out of my
pocket if I'm running somewhere. Just as easy to take back out as if it was
just in the larger pocket.

~~~
dingo_bat
This is kind of standard on trousers, as far as I know. Every pair I've ever
worn has had one.

------
tempestn
> Though electric cars don’t need cooling grilles – batteries don’t get as hot
> and they’re chilled in a different way – many have them anyway to avoid
> looking weird.

This actually isn't true. Electric engines do indeed release a lot less waste
heat than internal combustion engines, but they also can't tolerate nearly as
high of temperatures. And since heat dissipation is proportional to
temperature, their cooling requirements (ie radiator) tend to be similar.
Perhaps a bit less, but comparable.

Teslas actually do have radiators; they're just mounted low, so they're less
obvious. The same could be done in most other cars, although admittedly the
electric engine might allow for easier flexibility of layout to accomplish
this.

~~~
taneq
> Electric engines do indeed release a lot less waste heat than internal
> combustion engines, but they also can't tolerate nearly as high of
> temperatures.

Eh? I thought both topped out around ~100 degrees C? Not that water cooling
isn't a good idea for automotive electric drive motors.

~~~
giobox
Rechargeable batteries of most designs are pretty heat sensitive. Too hot or
too cold and the maximum range of the electric vehicle suffers. The drop off
can be as high as 30% or so too, especially if you live somewhere with regular
seasonal extreme temperatures.

This is why as well as cooling systems, some EVs even heat the battery in the
cold.

The same thing affects Lithium Ion batteries in phones, cameras, laptops etc
too.

~~~
derefr
> This is why as well as cooling systems, some EVs even heat the battery in
> the cold.

IC cars have that feature too, if you live somewhere like Saskatchewan. You
need to plug the heater in at night ([https://info.kaltire.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/Jan-6-Pl...](https://info.kaltire.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/03/Jan-6-PlugIn.jpg)) or the battery will be too cold to
start the car in the morning.

~~~
YSFEJ4SWJUVU6
Block heaters are used in somewhat milder climates as well – even though a
modern ICE will start quite fine at even below -20°C (increasingly more
unreliably the lower you go), doing so is somewhat harmful for the engine.
(Also, by heating the engine fluids you can also blow some warmer air into the
cabin to prevent the windows from frosting when you get inside – not to
mention the added comfort.) Actual battery warmers are much rarer I think, but
that isn't often an issue as long as you keep your battery well charged (and
obviously have a more capable battery to begin with).

The usual recommendation is to start using the block heater even before
temperature gets below freezing (for convenience reasons not many people do
so).

------
kpxxx
> The result: the controls of modern aircraft look very similar to those from
> the 1930s.

[http://magazin.lufthansa.com/content/uploads/2016/07/A380-80...](http://magazin.lufthansa.com/content/uploads/2016/07/A380-800-Blick-
ins-Cockpit-360-Panorama-Startbild-980x653.jpg)

[http://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/5/1/1/0898115....](http://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/5/1/1/0898115.jpg?v=v40)

LOL. The "explanation" in the article is mostly poppycock. Modern avionics are
based on engineering of human factors. There's no inherent desire for
skeuomorphism or even traditionalism. Control modalities that have been tested
to work better than potential modern replacements tend to stay, that is all.
In military tactical aircraft the differences are even more stark. On the
smaller GA scale of aircraft, it isn't so much traditionalism, as economics.

------
throw7
"the cockpits of the most high-tech airplanes are still laden with analogue
dials, levers and knobs" , too bad car manufacturers aren't so careful with
their infotainment consoles.

I'm lucky I still have knobs/buttons on mine, but the more expensive console
option did away with all of that and uses an infuriating touch screen slider
for the volume... that even must be navigated to to operate.

~~~
std_throwaway
You can accurately adjust a rotating knob without looking. They have real
benefits that you can't replace with software.

~~~
BartSaM
Too bad more and more car manufacturers moved into gizmo mode. I think I will
never buy tablet-car that have no physical knobs for basics controls.

~~~
logfromblammo
I even see a large dropoff in usability between my commuter vehicle, which has
knobs and levers, and my spouse's vehicle, which has buttons.

What makes it worse is that they are _unlit_ buttons.

I can quite easily adjust the environmental controls in my vehicle without
looking at them, or with a brief glance. In the other car, which I generally
only drive at night anyway, I have to at minimum turn on the map light, and
sometimes have to stop the car and look down at the mess of 20 identical-feel
buttons to push the correct one.

The button I _really_ hate is the "mode" button. It is furthest from the
driver's seat, and switches between defrost, defrost + low vents, high vents,
high vents + low vents, low vents. It doesn't click or beep or give any kind
of audio signal. You can't tell by feel. You can either look down at the LCD
display to see what it's doing, or you can wait a few seconds for the
actuators to adjust the airflow, and then hit the button again if it wasn't
what you wanted. This button's function is fulfilled by a knob in my car, and
I prefer it that way.

I can't even imagine a touchscreen that doesn't even have the tactile-
kinesthetic advantage of the fixed-position buttons. How many seconds will I
need to look away from the road in order to turn on the AC and blow it at the
inside of the windshield if the glass starts to fog up on a hot, humid night?

------
transitorykris
There is an incredible subculture for denim, distressing jeans the old
fashioned way, no skeuomorphism here. The pre-WW2 production methods produced
a higher quality product (surprise?) but the small looms couldn't produce it
fast enough or cheap enough and were sent overseas. The Japanese have carried
on producing proper American work wear, while American brands largely produce
a simulacrum of American work wear. Sad fact, Cone Mills is shutting down
after more than a century, last of its kind in the US.

~~~
grogenaut
Can you give me some proof, not opinion or social sales speak, that the
japanese stuff is "better"? Also how is it comparable to actual work wear sold
in the US, like carhart/etc or safety gear?

~~~
wodenokoto
Plenty of Japanese stuff isn't better.

Uniqlo sells a variety of jeans. While cheap and good for the price, it isn't
exactly high quality.

Is carhart really work wear? All the cool kids wore carhart in junior high 15
years ago where I lived.

~~~
Bartweiss
> _Is carhart really work wear?_

Yes. It made the to 'cool' on the back of the rugged reputation, but Carhartt
jackets are still a common sight on construction sites, out hunting, and so
on. The jackets at least really are that good - waterproof and extremely
sturdy.

It's sort of the same role Red Wing boots have slipped into - they count as
cool now, but they're still totally viable as heavy workwear.

~~~
x0x0
I'd guess they're in a similar position to North Face, who realized there's a
lot more people that want to look fashionable than people who need -50F
clothing, or even people who actually ski in that temperature range instead of
hiding at the bar...

~~~
Bartweiss
Pretty much, yeah. They still make good gear, but so does North Face. There's
an interesting split between outdoor companies that have made this switch
(e.g. North Face) and ones that really haven't (e.g. Black Diamond). It seems
like some companies have specialized in gear that no one wears for style, and
the rest have hybridized.

~~~
grogenaut
Well there's also the like of eddie bauer which went from totally
hunting/outdoor casual wear to 100% style wear.

------
bballard
Architecture is full of further examples of useless design features, from
facades to fascia, to non-load bearing columns. There are entire books (even
novels) on this subject.

~~~
coldtea
What people forget is that looking nice is also a function.

Utilitarian design is unsufferable -- like those soviet-era buildings...

~~~
Skunkleton
Brutalism is super cool though.

~~~
coldtea
In design work (print, web) where it can't do much damage, yes.

In residential and public buildings, not so much.

------
rdiddly
The history of GUI icons is full of this stuff...

A pencil for "edit" even though you have a computer now.

A floppy disk for "save" even though they went out in the 90s.

Manila file folders for files/directories even though few people use them
anymore.

Wristwatches, and even more old-school: hourglasses, for wait time.

...

~~~
CannisterFlux
A magnifying glass for search.

An ancient-looking camera for screenshots, even though no camera is involved
and most people take photos on their phone nowadays.

In recent years the floppy disk icon and the hourglass have started falling
out of fashion. Sometimes save is a sort of slab with an arrow
[https://openclipart.org/image/2400px/svg_to_png/32251/docume...](https://openclipart.org/image/2400px/svg_to_png/32251/document-
save-as.png) though loads of places still uses an old-skool 3.5" floppy.

The hourglass is often just a spinner now.

The pencil is everywhere, though what else could you use? It means more than
"pencil" now, I see that and think edit.

~~~
criddell
Your camera example made me think of how digital cameras often have a shutter
sound effect when taking a photo.

~~~
AnimalMuppet
But the audio feedback that it took a picture is actually useful. Sure, it
could be a different sound, but there should be _a_ sound?

Why a sound? Because my eye is busy composing the view. I don't want to have
to look at some magic place in the view to see if a light flashes or an icon
comes up or whatever.

~~~
criddell
I totally agree. I just think the shutter noise is a bit of audio
skeuomorphism.

------
byron_fast
I had to stop reading when they dismissed analog dials. My car and every thing
I own would be easier to use with analog dials.

~~~
rcthompson
They also failed to mention the important role of car engine noise in alerting
vision-impaired pedestrians to oncoming traffic.

~~~
xtreme
You don't even have to be vision impaired to benefit from this. If you are
walking along a narrow road or alleyway and a car approaches from behind, the
noise will alert you and you can move accordingly.

~~~
rcthompson
Indeed, we can use an expansive definition of "vision-impaired" that includes
people looking at their phones and people without 360-degree panoramic X-ray
vision.

------
Sir_Cmpwn
Don't forget designs that provide _negative_ value. Mobile micro-payments,
addiction-forming designs, "subscribe to our spam" pop-ups...

Aside, there's no evidence that DVORAK is better than QWERTY, and the origin
story of QWERTY presented here is a common misconception.

~~~
btym
_> there's no evidence that DVORAK is better than QWERTY_

Here's my go-to reference:
[http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?keyboard_layouts](http://mkweb.bcgsc.ca/carpalx/?keyboard_layouts)

~~~
coldtea
And here's mine:
[https://www.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/keys1.html](https://www.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/keys1.html)

------
gumby
Can't wait for my next phone to come with tail fins.

(This article could have been better titled by the BBC as "vestigial traces of
older products in the design of newer ones.")

And for those lucky enough to never have seen them:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_tailfin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_tailfin)

~~~
reificator
I like tailfins. Not all of them, but there's a few that look nice.

~~~
52-6F-62
So do I. I wouldn't mind a return to some of the 50's/60's automotive
aesthetics. It could look pretty futuristic at times. One of my favourite
photos of Chicago:
[https://68.media.tumblr.com/67951c2780fe5c66863c2a31caa4d989...](https://68.media.tumblr.com/67951c2780fe5c66863c2a31caa4d989/tumblr_oo7jiwN7it1vpk144o1_500.jpg)

------
rwallace
> In the United States, wagons were increasingly common on the roads. Drawn by
> up to 20 animals, they were a popular way of transporting goods over long
> distances – and the men helming these vehicles liked to drive on the right.
> They’d sit on the rear leftmost horse, so it was easier to make sure
> oncoming traffic didn’t get too close if it was also on the left.

Why did drivers sit on the leftmost horse?

~~~
Blaine0002
so it was easier to make sure oncoming traffic didn’t get too close if it was
also on the left.

~~~
rwallace
But that just re-raises the question of why people switched to driving on the
right. The article says riders used to ride on the left, then wagon drivers
started sitting on the left, so wagons started driving on the right. Why did
wagon drivers started sitting on the left, in a world where people were riding
on the left?

~~~
djrogers
For context, at this time in history, the side of the road used was mostly
determined by custom and convenience - there wasn't enough traffic for there
to be established law.

In the case of these large wagon train drivers, the drivers, being mostly
right handed, wanted to use their crop or whip in their right hand while being
able to reach both lines of horses. This dictated that riding on the leftmost
horse was most convenient.

Conversely, a wagon driver in a (relatively) cramped and crowded city such as
London would sit on the right side so as to be able to ensure that his whip
did not accidentally hit passers-by, as the direction of travel of the whip
from a right-handed person is toward the left. This concern was largely not
present in the wide-open spaces of the US.

~~~
xbkingx
Wanting your whippin' arm lined up center makes sense, but it doesn't explain
swapping both the side the driver sits on and the side of the road used by the
vehicle. If you had free reign on street side, you'd sit on the side opposite
your whipping arm because you could pick people up on either side (no safety
preference) and would have more control over the whip. These probably changed
at different times.

If you're on the left side of the street, picking passengers up on the left
sidewalk, you'd want to sit on the left side to watch your whip. But, the
driver is always on the side furthest from the curb, which makes me think it's
more about making sure you don't hit oncoming traffic and picking up
passengers.

Still doesn't explain the side of the street used. I wouldn't be surprised if
there was a royal mannerism edict that said something like, "Gentlemen ambling
in opposite directions should always pass one another on the left to ensure
they may unsheathe their weapon, should the other engage in dishonorable
combat."

------
gumby
Love this:

> This new material [copper] was much more versatile, since it didn’t have to
> be painstakingly chipped into shape. It led to a whole range of elaborate
> inventions, from crowns to ornamental sceptres. But many objects created in
> this era retained a decidedly stone-age look.

------
waynecochran
I like the fact that a part of the space shuttle's design can be traced back
to Roman times:

[http://www.astrodigital.org/space/stshorse.html](http://www.astrodigital.org/space/stshorse.html)

~~~
sitharus
It's an amusing anecdote, but unfortunately false:
[https://www.snopes.com/history/american/gauge.asp](https://www.snopes.com/history/american/gauge.asp)

~~~
Goronmon
That article reads a bit strangely to me.

It basically says the anecdote is true, but because it's true for "trivial and
unremarkable reasons" they are labeling it as false. Which doesn't seem to
make sense to me personally.

~~~
zazen
Yes, snopes is strange like that. You'd think a site dedicated to debunking
stories would take care to be precise with the arguments it makes, but snopes
often comes across a bit sloppy. But here they still are, after all these
years, apparently king of the funny little niche of debunking urban myths!

------
loukrazy
Those “watch” pockets in jeans are great for holding rings.

~~~
tomglynch
I keep my coins in there - keeps the size of my wallet down.

~~~
beefsack
I've only ever heard people call them "coin pockets."

------
tomglynch
Really interesting. What other examples can you think of?

~~~
gumby
Hollerith punch cards (the overwhelming standard...there were other
experiments though) were the size they were because Herman Hollerith wanted to
use cash handling trays for managing the cards (they used to do statistics on
them by lining them up and then manually running metal rods through the holes
to see which ones were universal their set! No kidding.). The federal dollars
back then were larger than the reserve notes we use today in the US.

By the way the usually had rounded corners for the same reason rolodex and
library card file cards usually did: less likely to become damaged and then
caught in the machine. Whoever wrote that article didn't remember or perhaps
had never actually seen, much less used these technologies.

My favorite of these fossilized design elements though is on hearses in the
US. Ever notice that they have a funny shape, like an elongated italic "S" on
the side? It's actually a completely deracinated coach spring! When people
started using motorized vehicles to transport coffins, they still liked to use
a horse coach for more "formal" occasions like funerals (and coronations...)
-- think of JFK's funeral or Queen Elizabeth (mother of the current Queen).
Eventually to make the hearses seem more fancy they glued that stupid thing
on.

Another great one is the fossilized fashions of times gone by. Why do some
banks still have fancy fronts or a logo with columns? Because back when banks
actually kept their cash around they wanted to show off that they both had a
solid building and were profitable enough to spend money on the expensive
stuff kinds used...like marble. Nowadays if you visit someone really really
rich with a modern house (i.e. castle) it's very often ultra high end glass
and steel (Not just California, all over the globe) or exotics (think Geahry).
The merely very wealthy are more likely to use the wealth signifiers of the
"old days" (gold, crystal, marble).

~~~
TheOtherHobbes
There's a certain class of 20/21st c. up-market housing in the UK's home
counties that comes with a stuck-on pseudo-Georgian portico.

[https://www.cranbornestone.co.uk/Assets/User/616-Portico_A_2...](https://www.cranbornestone.co.uk/Assets/User/616-Portico_A_2.jpg)

It's entirely for show - it certainly doesn't keep the rain out, like a real
porch - and IMO it looks ridiculous, especially on a house that isn't
particularly grand or large.

~~~
rsynnott
Fake Tudor-esque stuff is also common; wood just stuck onto a usually brick
house.

------
cc439
>But the public like cars to look a certain way.

Meh, this isn't all that true in my opinion. A properly designed "grill-less"
car can be just as popular if not moreso than a design that adheres to the
status quo. Just look at every Corvette from arguably the C2* through the C5.
The C4* definitively removed the grill from the design but the C2 and C3*
worked them into the nose in a way completely unlike that of a traditional
"grill". Then you have the case of the Citroen DS* which has been lauded as
one of the most beautiful/cutting edge designs of all time.

The lasting popularity and perception of these cars proves that "grills"
aren't necessary, it just takes more artistic skill to design a pleasing shape
without them.

>Though electric cars don’t need cooling grilles – batteries don’t get as hot
and they’re chilled in a different way.

Now this just isn't true at all unless I'm unaware of some new design that
diverges entirely from the Tesla/Nissan/GM school of electric vehicle design.
While the radiator of a Tesla Model S*, X, or 3 may be much smaller than that
of a typical ICE powered car, it is still large enough to require meaningful
airflow through the front end/underbody. The issue with consumer perceptions
of the "grill-less" designs isn't that they are innately undesirable, it's
that all of the current mass production electric cars are either woefully
bland or amateurishly designed. I personally think Tesla's design language is
unimaginative and would carry the perception of being 10 years out of date if
made by any other brand. Also, even if it was possible to passively cool the
battery and motor of an electric car (while still meeting modern expectations
of performance), the HVAC system still needs airflow for the AC condenser.

Sources: C2:
[http://www.usedcorvettesforsale.com/img/icons/c2-corvette.jp...](http://www.usedcorvettesforsale.com/img/icons/c2-corvette.jpg)

C3:
[https://fthmb.tqn.com/gmQGeIVkCGfb6anH9CTM6jBmLuA=/768x0/fil...](https://fthmb.tqn.com/gmQGeIVkCGfb6anH9CTM6jBmLuA=/768x0/filters:no_upscale\(\)/W89HV_CH003-56a1ca5b3df78cf7726e05ff.jpg)

C5:
[http://image.superchevy.com/f/9271396+w640+h640+q80+re0+cr1+...](http://image.superchevy.com/f/9271396+w640+h640+q80+re0+cr1+st0/corp_0405_how_to_buy_c5_corvette_z_1%2B2002_c5.jpg)

Citroen DS:
[https://www.classicdriver.com/sites/default/files/styles/two...](https://www.classicdriver.com/sites/default/files/styles/two_third_slider/public/cars_images/citroen_ds23ie_1.jpg?itok=_BoBZTtz)

Tesla Model S Radiator:
[http://www.r8talk.com/gallery/data/500/Front_Radiators.jpg](http://www.r8talk.com/gallery/data/500/Front_Radiators.jpg)

------
odammit
> Though electric cars don’t need cooling grilles – batteries don’t get as hot
> and they’re chilled in a different way – many have them anyway to avoid
> looking weird.

s/many/all the ass-backward archaic car companies/

Is Tesla is the only one that doesn’t have a grill?

I don’t know if my volt actually has openings but it does have the grill.
Totally cool looking -_-

~~~
hawski
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Leaf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Leaf)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Zoe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Zoe)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_i-
MiEV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_i-MiEV)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Up#E-up](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Up#E-up)

~~~
Animats
The Chevy Bolt shares a platform with the Chevy Sonic. The grille will
probably go away when it gets enough volume for its own platform.

------
ggm
_design features which are included because we value them (apparently) but
they serve little or no purpose_

well.. sure. I mean, once you have Helvetica and Times, all the other roman
fonts are basically wasting my time.

I would argue the rivets still serve a purpose. Maybe its how I wear them, but
I have torn the pockets off jeans.

The Iconography of Instagram and the resurgence of Polaroid style cameras..

The iconography of the floppy disk as 'save to disk' icon probably won't last
much longer mind you.

~~~
mcphage
> The iconography of the floppy disk as 'save to disk' icon probably won't
> last much longer mind you.

What do you think will replace it? Or are you talking about the idea of an
explicit ‘save’ step largely disappearing?

~~~
tomglynch
Save logo will probably be phased out with a 'upload to cloud' logo

~~~
odammit
I often see the floppy disk image and think “WTF is that still doing there?”

I can’t imagine what my kids will think it is. My parents are completely
confused by the power button. My mom thinks it’s a stick figure finger pushing
a button.

~~~
King-Aaron
Relevant...
[https://twitter.com/TheLazyDog_/status/316681011457048578](https://twitter.com/TheLazyDog_/status/316681011457048578)

~~~
majewsky
Coasters with sharp metal edges on them are indeed a novelty. /s

