Recently, I purchased a new chair for my home office, and my back almost thanked me. It really made me appreciate good product designers who make our lives easy with their creativity. Unfortunately, some of them are just not gifted enough and end up creating something weird.
Believe it or not, but there are a lot of product designs that are an absolute failure. Some of them are so absurd, you wouldn’t know whether to laugh out loud or question the sanity of the designer. Just scroll down to check out these hilarious and nonsensical failed creations!
#1 Hopefully The Braille Works
Image source: palebluedot54
#2 This Toothbrush Has No Bristles
Image source: dr_sykne
I don’t know about you, but some of these products really got me thinking about how a small change can impact the whole thing as worthless. Well, I am not an expert at this, so Bored Panda reached out to product designer Sharanya Salehittal for an interview.
She believes that at the end of the day, a product design fails when it loses touch with reality. It doesn’t matter how sleek or futuristic an idea looks on a computer screen. She stressed that if it doesn’t work for actual human beings in the real world, it’s a flop. Designers usually get tripped up by forgetting that they are building for people, not for their own egos, Sharanya added.
#3 Pure Fun To Clean
Image source: Wermikulit
#4 Lieve In Rself
Image source: putji
Our expert narrated that “the first big trap is solving a problem that nobody actually has. We see this all the time with hyper-complex gadgets that replace simple daily tasks: think of a smart device replacing a basic kitchen tool. When you over-engineer something, you end up creating a costly solution to a minor inconvenience, leaving users wondering why it exists in the first place.”
Then, she commented, there’s the user experience. If someone has to read a thick manual just to figure out how to turn an object on or change a basic setting, the design has failed. Sharanya strongly believes that good products blend seamlessly into our daily habits. When a design conflicts with our natural intuition or forces us to think too hard, we quickly become frustrated and give up on it.
#5 Incredibled Bounce House Fail
Image source: hailsatans-bikers
#6 Found In Nz
Image source: 92233720368547758080
#7 He’s Not Battle Ready, He’s Hospital Ready
Image source: Coiled_GLaDOS
Sharanya claimed that we also see designs fail when beauty gets in the way of basic utility. “Yes, everyone loves a gorgeous, minimalist aesthetic, but not if it makes the product harder to use. If you create a beautiful mouse but put the charging port on the bottom, it is totally useless while plugged in. You have valued how it looks over how it actually works,” she added.
On the physical side, a design is bad if it can’t withstand the wear and tear of real life, Sharanya stressed. She thinks that products need to survive being dropped, shoved into bags, or left in the sun. When companies cut corners on materials or fail to test for human clumsiness, things break, fail, or, in the worst cases, become safety hazards.
#8 This Things Face Is Upside Down
Image source: _Mush_r00m_
#9 I’m Not Sure How To Hold This Coffee Mug
Image source: SilverNature3
#10 Which Direction Opens It? The Arrows Go The Same Direction
Image source: KaiJenson
While that was all about failed product designs, our expert also shared some wise words on successful ones. “Think about the best products you own. Chances are, you rarely think about them at all. That’s because truly great design is almost invisible. It quietly slips into your daily routine, solves your problem, and works without constantly begging for your attention,” she explained.
Sharanya noted that a great product explains itself. You shouldn’t need to dig up a user manual or watch a tutorial video to figure out how to turn it on or open a lid, she added. When a design is intuitive, its shapes, buttons, and textures naturally guide you, making the whole experience feel like second nature.
#11 The World’s Worst Urinal. At Least You Can’t Cross The Streams
Image source: 5parky
#12 Numbering System At A Therapists Office
Image source: Nearby_Inflation2009
#13 The Least Appetizing Way To Present Sliced Meat In An Italian Supermarket
Image source: KyouCat
She expressed that a successful design also prioritizes doing its actual job quite well. Good designers don’t get distracted by flashy gimmicks or useless extra features just to look high-tech. Instead, they focus entirely on solving a real, everyday frustration and making sure the product delivers on that core promise every single time, Sharanya stated.
Another thing she pointed out about a really great creation is that it knows when to get out of the way. As per her, “It doesn’t clutter your living space with loud colors, flashing lights, or unnecessary details. By using ‘as little design as possible,’ it keeps things clean and simple, blending beautifully into the background when you aren’t using it.”
#14 This “Sink” In My Swedish Hotel Room
Image source: elevencharles
#15 Innovative Water Trap Disguised As Public Seating
Image source: Nohokun
#16 This Clock I Have Looks Nice And Works Well, But The Hands Blend With Its Face At Certain Times, Making It Tricky To Read
Image source: stevenm1993
Sharanya claimed that “There’s also a deep element of honesty and durability. A well-designed product doesn’t pretend to be more premium than it actually is to trick you into a purchase. It’s built with quality materials, engineered to withstand real-world wear and tear, and designed to outlast passing, cheap trends.”
Eventually, she believes that a great design isn’t about making a loud artistic statement; rather, it’s about making your life just a little bit easier. When a creator successfully balances usefulness, simplicity, and longevity, they are giving you a reliable tool you can actually depend on, she added.
#17 Overpass With 90° Turns In India
Image source: EphemeralCacophony
#18 My BF Got This Pen From A Hospital
Image source: Beepbooppbop
#19 How Else Do You Feed A Dog A Treat
Image source: jballs_o
When we asked Sharanya if she had ever designed a product that was actually a big flop, she laughed and stated that obviously she has. “Not once or twice, but my designs have failed multiple times, not only when I was a student, but also after I started working professionally.”
“But that’s the beauty of it all, because you always get a chance to redo things, and then create the best version ever. After all, the whole of life is a trial-and-error process, right?” she elaborated.
#20 The Design Is Very Human
Image source: SaintFTS
#21 What Is Wrong With This Mannequin
Image source: CaptainWhiskersDraws
#22 Double Laundry Sink With Fixed Spout
Image source: Money_Record_3303
While concluding the interview, Sharanya shared a peculiar product whose design she really admires and thinks was quite successful. “I consider that the Sony Walkman was forward-thinking, providing portable music with excellent design and longevity. It transformed personal audio and set the stage for MP3 players and smartphones,” our expert summed up.
#23 How Am I Supposed To Get My Tissues Out Of This Box
Image source: posenby_w
#24 velcome
Image source: RainisTheCat
#25 Gap Between The Platform And Station Building Means The Seats Are Always Wet When It Rains (UK So It Rains A Lot)
Image source: slugslayer50
While that was an unusual answer, it definitely ticked all the boxes about what she had explained a good product design should look like. Anyway, that interview definitely broadened my very narrow horizon about this intriguing field. What about you? Also, which of these bizarre failed objects made you laugh the loudest? We would love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to drop them in the comments section!
#26 Life Is With Better Bulldoc
Image source: Jimjams101
#27 Why
Image source: iliveindarknights
#28 Car
Image source: fantasis777
#29 Well I’m A Bear Too, Just A Different Kind
Image source: nah_Im_just_pathetic
#30 Take A Deep Breath
Image source: FloatyFloatyCloud
#31 Most Useful Fencegate Ever
Image source: Jealous_Mark6357
#32 Hooks For Bags In My School
Image source: Kar_Karich22853
#33 Ace Of Spadiamonds
Image source: academician1
#34 Rosemary Is On My Kitchen Mat Twice. Guess They Couldn’t Think Of Another Herb
Image source: LemmonLizard
#35 This Bath Foam Packaging Looks So Much Like Food That They Had To Put Up A Warning Sign Behind It
Image source: Lords_of_Misrule
#36 Ah Yes, A See-Through “Surprise” Egg
Image source: AsingleMiitopian46
#37 Ultra Bright Switchboard Leds
Image source: CarefulCurate
#38 I Have An Irrational Fear Of Slipping And Being Impaled By This Bluey Soap With Pointy Plastic Ears
Image source: VoidAssembly
#39 A Token Of Appreciation From My Boss. Only Points Down When Read Correctly
Image source: Lili-Saramira
#40 Ahh Yes Some Nice Mayonnaise
Image source: OilNatural7164
#41 Who Doesn’t Enjoy A Nice Day At The Bchea?
Image source: GiveMe1Dollar
#42 My Walking Pad Remote Made The Traditional Button Catapult You To 3mph And I Hit It Every Time I Need To Pause The Workout
Image source: laundreedae
#43 This Pretty Much Unusable Chessboard Setup The City Built On My Street
Image source: GoraSou
#44 These New Peugeots Are Great, They Blind You With Glare On The Metallic Finish
Image source: ForeverSJC
#45 Plastic Knobs Above The Grill. Awesome
Image source: BarryTownCouncil
#46 I’ve Spilled More Gas With Spill Proof Gas Cans Than I Ever Did With The Old Kind
Image source: Gaspuch62
#47 I Don’t Think It’s A Spaceship
Image source: Impossible-Step-8691
#48 One Of These Is Chocolate Milk And The Other Is Not
Image source: Additional_Mode8211
#49 I Need To Know The Thought Process Behind This Design
Image source: Top-Matter8226
#50 When Did We Decide This Was The Best Design?
Image source: that-country-girl
#51 It Looks Like The Face Is Upside Down
Image source: schneemello
#52 Marriott Hotel Night Stand LED Aimed At My Face
Image source: MCWoody1
#53 Couldn’t Find My Hotel Light Switch
Image source: Dragongal7
#54 Recently Bought This Drink, And Only Just Now Noticed That It Doesnt Say “Strawberry”, It Says “Stwrabrery”
Image source: t0oby101
#55 This Circular Pill Organizer That Opens Inward
Image source: Scary_Leadership9807
#56 Backpack That Has Zippers On The Bottom Leading To The Main Bag That Open Up Automatically When You Put Too Much In
Image source: Outside-Refuse6732
#57 This Panda Plushie With, Apparently, Two Faces, I Found At A Claw Machine I Took My Baby Cousin To See In An Ice Cream Shop
Image source: AlisanBeDamned
#58 No Apple
Image source: boop66
#59 Who Wants To Eat This?
Image source: Final-Choice8412
#60 Smartwater Doesn’t Let You Remove The Bottle Cap To Refill Them
Image source: stml
#61 For A Second, I Thought It Was Binary!
Image source: iZraHell
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