UMO – Boycott Bad Designs Contest’08

Announcement for the Bad Design Contest, here is a summary, and the details follow....

  • Open to everybody
  • No Limit on number of entries
  • No entry fee
  • Awards worth Rs 30,000/-
  • Deadline: November 10th, 2008

UsabilityMatters.Org is holding a competition for identifying a Bad Design as part of our activities towards theWorld Usability Day. The entries will be exhibited on 9th December 2008.

Participation is open to everybody from every country in the world, and from any background- designers and design sensitive consumers!
There is no Entry fee.

Please go through the rules and regulations – and in particular – the conditions applicable to the intellectual property rights.

Entries Preview

Signage boards are to be placed where needed only.

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Views : 10
Unnecessary elements should not be a part of design of the signage boards.

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Views : 14
Public toilets on the roads create inconvenience to the user.

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Views : 7
Signage boards are not placed positioned properly due to which the user is at discomfort .

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Views : 6
Dust bins form a major part of the street furniture.

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Views : 5
NO PARKING is a sign which is never followed by people.

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Views : 7

Zebra crossing is used by the pedestrians to cross the road.

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Views : 9
Manholes on the roads leads to traffic congestion.

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Views : 8
Pedestrians prefer to use roads than the foot over bridges.

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Views : 5
Crossing  over the dividers  can be fatal.

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Views : 7
Auto rickshaws in buss tops lead to traffic congestion.

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Views : 6
The signage board being misused because of no proper design.

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Views : 8
A zebra crossing is for the pedestrians on the road not for the vehicles.

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Views : 7


Speed limit boards though placed are never followed.

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Views : 7
The information boards should be understood by the user.

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Views : 49
Qamans or temples right in the middle of the road spoil the symmetry and harmony of the road.

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Views : 8
High tension electric cabes  which are highly dangerous are placed right in the middle of the road.

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Views : 10
When the divider line is a double line it means that crossing the other side of the road is strictly prohibited which is never followed.

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Views : 10
This graffiti on the road is a reminder for the driver to stop before the zebra crossing.

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Views : 10
NO ENTRY is not followed by people until and unless there is a traffic police.

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Views : 12
NO U TURN is not followed in places where there is heavy flow of traffic.

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Views : 9
A NO PARKING sign is placed near a white and black striped pavement ; which is a total contradiction.

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Views : 8
Divider on a one way create confusion.

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Views : 7
Switching of lanes unevenly leads to accidents.

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Views : 8
Barricades are placed to mark the division which they fail to achieve.

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Views : 9
Too many symbols for one signage leads to confusion.

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Views : 10
Traffic kiosks do not give complete protection in case of rain.

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Views : 7
Parking should be given in an apt location; else it leads to inconvenience.

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Views : 5
The foot over bridges are being misused rather than being used.

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Views : 5
Barricades placed over the divider are to stop movement across the road..

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Views : 6
Isn’t the parking meant for auto rickshaws only when the signage indicates it clearly?

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Views : 5
Two boards which contradict each other generally lead to confusion.

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Views : 5
Railway crossings prove to be very dangerous.  

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Views : 17
These autos rickshaws are very uncomfortable while travelling.

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Views : 11
The double decker buses have only one entry and exit. 

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Views : 9
The driver seat in the buses is very uncomfortable without any provision for adjustments.

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Views : 7
The SPROCKET of the cycle rickshaw is not centrally aligned.

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Views : 10
The INDIAN RAILWAYS site has given importance to advertisments than the information links.

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Views : 7
Garbage bins on roads cause more littering on roads than helping to keep it clean.

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Views : 27
The mirror tends to get moist in rainy season.

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Views : 12
The shower mixers are difficult to use for a first time user as they are confusing and no indication is given.

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Views : 11
It is difficult to hook the frame on the screws.

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Views : 12
Placement of the stickers on the screws does not allow to tamper with the product.

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Views : 9
The berths in the train seem to be quite unsafe as they are fitted with chains which adds to the feeling of insecurity. 
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Views : 11
Petrol filling in mopeds is a problem.

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Views : 15
Speed breakers are not very apparent on roads which is the causes inconveniene in driving.

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Views : 30
I always wonder how difficult it must be for a truck driver or any other person for that matter to board the bulky trucks seen running on the Indian roads. 

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Views : 16

It spoils the interior walls as it turns and twists all around due to the breeze of the ceiling fan.

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Views : 36
The  twisted chord of the phone creates a problem as it tangles around anything near to it.

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Views : 61
Rusting of the body of an RO FILTER causes leakage of drinking water thus wasting it and reduces its life.

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Views : 197
There is a difficulty in cleaning the lid of pressure cooker at the base of whistle .

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Views : 124
There is no indication of temperature of the food inside the container which leads to the burning of mouth.

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Views : 52
The sharp edge of the iron box leads to unwanted marks on the walls .

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Views : 31
Invertors are devices used when the power is off .There is no emergency light provided.

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Views : 23
The engine being only on one side poses the problem that the balancing is not easily maintained while driving as one side is heavier than the other.

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Views : 23
Opening and closing of three-fold umbrellas pose difficulty and as such cannot be easily used by school going children .

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Views : 35
A triathlon watch is used to check the count of laps in air or under water.But in the case when under water the watch is water proof only when one does not push or pull any timer buttons.

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Views : 13
Two wheelers the widely used means of transport in INDIA.Prominence should be given to various problems while designing.

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Views : 11
The mud guard of motor bikes a YAMAHA libero in this case spills all the mud on the driver.

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Views : 11
The plastic cap of the ointment tubes is easily breakable due to which the ointment leaks.

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Views : 32
The chappal spill out mud while walking on the clothes.

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Views : 14
These type of charger pins are prone to breakage.

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Views : 13
The medicine bottle caps are difficult to open.

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Views : 10
Laptop bags cause back pain.

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Views : 10
The design of Indian trucks is erroneous and accident prone because of the heightened driver seat and invisibility of road till 3 feet away from front side from driver.

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Views : 79
The air pressure indicators in the car indicate when there is less amount of air in the car tyres ; which warns the driver before hand.

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Views : 33
Busstops connected to the footpath cause inconvenience.

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Views : 27
Foot over bridges are not preferred by old people and the physically challanged.

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Views : 25
Selfstarts in two wheelers is a big havoc if the battery is low.

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Views : 73
The cycle chains usually cause inconvenience as they fall off when riding.

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Views : 32
People tend to drive their two wheeler wothout removing the side stands.

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Views : 35
These signages are seen when one goes on NH - 8 between Delhi and Gurgaon.

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Views : 50

The heavy luggages are provided with wheels so as to make it easy for the user to carry their luggage.

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Views : 31
Silencers of bikes are heated to extremly high temperatures.

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Views : 39
The engine of the two wheelers is generally exposed due to which moisture gets into it and causes a problem while starting; over a period of time.

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Views : 28
The footrest provided in the bikes are so close to one another that often the pillion rider ends up hitting the leg of the main rider which leads to difficulty while riding.

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Views : 31
Bikes generally weigh more than a 100 kgs.

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Views : 30
The gear of a few two wheelers has to be handled in the opposite direction.

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Views : 30
There is no handle provided for the pillion rider so that he feels safer holding it while riding.

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Views : 31
The two wheelers are not provided with a battery indicator and it becomes a problem for the user as the bikes do not start if the battery is dead or down.

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Views : 27
The window and gutter design in trains is poor as the rain water falls into the train creating a problem to the person sitting just beside the window.

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Views : 27
 The metal lock releases the berth onto the seat.

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Views : 29
The head lights of vehicles when on a high beam cause inconvenience to the driver of the vehicle coming from the opposite side hence blinding him which causes many accidents.

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Views : 25
The dustbins in trains are bady positioned and handled that they provoke the passenger to litter all around the place.

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Views : 28
Even if you dont want to litter around your surroundings, such poor maintainance and deliberations of public properties have made india a dirty country.

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Views : 27
The leg space in auto rickshaws is very less causing inconvenience to the user.

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Views : 28
The rubber on the wipers of an automobile wears out due to exposure of sunlight .

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Views : 31
The LOCK OF THE back door of any automobile is generally spoilt very easily.

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Views : 31
Opening the bonnet of any car is always a hide and seek game with an end result of dirty hands

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Views : 31
Style must go hand in hand with comfort, which is missing in the design of this bike.

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Views : 36
Design is in details. If small details like the locking system of a sliding camera cover are considered insignificant, it could lead to bigger problems like quick draining of the battery.

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Views : 35
The problem area is the departure time is mentioned in 24 hour format. So if the train is at 12:25 mid-night on 5th October, the time on the ticket is 00:25 dated 6th Oct. Many people have missed trains because of this reason. Even, adding am/pm doesn't help solve the confusion much.

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Views : 65
The Zune player is provided with a bigger screen and is attracting many a buyer.

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Views : 45
This is a common scene all over the country. The children are packed into auto rickshaws which is very dangerous as they are most prone to accidents .

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Views : 61
The footrest in a cycle rickshaw is at a level where it is difficult for the passenger to climb over.

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Views : 722
In buses the handbag luggage is generally kept above the seats which is quite dangerous in case of movement as there is no barrier provided.

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Views : 281
The foot over bridges in the railway stations are very difficult to use.

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Views : 125
Design for the physically challenged should make it easier for them rather than being an extra strain ;keeping in mind their limitations.

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Views : 133
The waste disposal system in the toilets of Indian railways are extremely unhygienic .

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Views : 56
Considering the number of people who have to get in at each station within limited time and the size of their luggage, the size of the doors of the railway coaches seem too small.

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Views : 54
Pen drives are widely in use as they are very easy to carry data from one place to another.

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Views : 51
A maruti omni is one vehicle which is widely used in India as it is very spacious and can carry a large number of people which is apt for Indian families.

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Views : 55
It is very difficult to insert the thread into a needle as the head of the needle is provided with a small opening.

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Views : 58
The key hole of the lock i snot fixed and when one tries inserting the key to open the lock it keeps rotating and generally takes time to come into the desired position.

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Views : 53
The design of the helmet is perfect as far as a peson with correct eyesight is considered.

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Views : 50

The back seat of cycle is generally made of iron bars which makes it difficult for the user to sit for a longer time.

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Views : 126
The width of the common corridor in trains is very less .

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Views : 105

Symmetry may be an important part in design but not necessarily always.

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Views : 52

The batteries with a leak proof certification also begin to leak due to which the electronic devices are damaged.

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Views : 45
It is very difficult to remove stickers from any kind of material once they are stuck.

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Views : 49
The chain strap of the watches causes a problem as it pulls out the hair on the hand causing inconvenience to the user.

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Views : 40
The iron bars at the entrances create a lot of problem as one gets stuck with ones legs and has to be very careful while crossing over it.

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Views : 46
Ramps are generally provided keeping in mind the physically challenged.

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Views : 44
The manholes are covered with lids which are not properly fit.

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Views : 77
The bollards are provided to stop the bicycles and bikes from entering a particular area.

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Views : 93

Taxis in Mumbai are mostly FIAT Padminis. Very old car which was discontinued long time back by Fiat.Has a metal body which is very vey heavy, with less leg room for passengers, old door handles, defective doors.

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Views : 119

In many cases we see escalators running without any people on them which leads to wastage of energy.

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Views : 79
Matchbox is an inevitable day to day use object in households.

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Views : 68