Mastodawn

I look forward to reading about the ship/elephant/steam train race #books #designfail

The Shelly 2.5 Smart Relay Design Flaw Killing Capacitors https://hackaday.com/2026/01/17/the-shelly-2-5-smart-relay-design-flaw-killing-capacitors/
#RepairHacks #Designfail #Smartrelay

The Shelly 2.5 Smart Relay Design Flaw Killing Capacitors

Part of any self-respecting Smart Home, smart relays are useful for switching and monitoring loads that do not plug into an outlet. This also makes them a lot more integrated, and thus, a long life…

Hackaday

Petra van Cronenburg Jan 9

The absolute slow seller, even after New Year's Eve. No one wants to drink it voluntarily. This #Cremant was specially named in English for export. Anyone in the US? 🤣

#alcohol #DesignFail #LaDouceFrance #FrenchHumour

Show thread

Eric Lawton Jan 3

@MelissaBearTrix

Packaging has two purposes.
1. To keep the content safe until you need it.
2. To give access when you need it.

Seems like poor engineering to me; either they failed to understand the requirements, or failed to meet them. Also, insufficient testing.

Edit, 3rd purpose: reusable or at least recyclable, but you didn't say if it met that one.

#DesignFail

N-gated Hacker News Dec 13

Ah yes, another 🦄 "groundbreaking" article on web design that tries to convince us that less is more, while simultaneously listing every design topic known to man. 🎨🌟 Because of course, nothing screams #simplicity like drowning readers in a sea of sub-menus and newsletter pop-ups. 🤦‍♂️
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2025/04/gild-just-one-lily/ #webdesign #designfail #userexperience #creativity #HackerNews #ngated

Gild Just One Lily — Smashing Magazine

“Gilding the lily” isn’t always bad. In design, a touch of metaphorical gold — a subtle animated transition, a hint of color, or added depth in a drop shadow — can help communicate a level of care and attention that builds trust. But first? You need a lily. Nail the fundamentals. Then, gild it carefully.

Smashing Magazine

eincarsten Dec 10

Wer ist denn bei iOS26 auf die geniale Idee gekommen, einen Speichern-Button mit checkmark in Rot zu designen? Je-des-mal ne micropanic, dass ich jetzt abgebrochen statt gespeichert habe. Das nächste Retreat geht auf Apples Kosten. #calender #ios26 #DesignFail

Christine Sætre-esque Dec 3

Took me 1.5 hrs to change 1 light bulb.

Endnotes:
Outside in the dark, in the freezing rain, standing on a stool in the snow, turning the inaccessible bolts in the housing an EXCRUCIATING 1/30 of a rotation at a time using the nonstandard allen wrench provided. One could barely maneuver in the void between the wall mounted lantern and the mounting bracket. WHY put the bolt there?!

#fail #designfail

LordOfQuails Dec 3

Schrödingers WC

#DeutscheBahn #DesignFail #enshittification

rawe Nov 28

This #wisa toilet flushing button thingy drove me crazy. Rattling and crooked, as it is only mounted in two corners and the plastic deformed over the years (its like 10 years old). So the corners not clamped down had a small gap and the whole thing was slightly loose, no matter how tight I screwed it down.

I attacked this annoyance with a piece of aluminum square tubing, threaded rivets and three screws. This additional reinforcement allows to apply a tiny bit of adjustable force in the other direction, bending the thing back flat.

#diy #abenteueraltbau #repair #designfail