I SO feel ya on this post! ^

And related: The issue of on which side the gas fill door is located has already been mentioned, but how about this variation: How to open up the gas fill door?? Sometimes it's a button on the dash, sometimes it's a button on the floor, sometimes it's a button on the door, and then my personal favorite: There's no button or lever anywhere, and no apparent way to open it from the outside either (no obvious indentation on which to pull it open)...until you realize you have to push in one side of the door, which "folds" the opposite side open (i.e., kind of like a "middle hinge"). What rocket scientist thought THAT would be a good idea at all, let alone on an unfamiliar rental car when you're in a hurry to get to the airport???

There's even another variation: on at least some BMWs, you push it in and it pops open, unless the car is locked - like some kitchen cabinets.

I guess I don't find many BMWs on the Hertz #1 aisles. I do definitely identify with the lack of design standards across mainstream American cars, though. Seat adjustment levers and side-view mirror controls are other areas with crazy variations. Another reason why you go for familiar cars like the Taurus or G6 that you don't even like much. At least you've figured them out.

Ever rent a Prius? Took me 15 minutes to figure out how to turn the thing on - there IS no key, you put the whole key fob into the dash. Only National attached this little stick thing that kinda looks like a key. Which didn't help matters.

I guess though, that most car companies do not design their cars around rental companies needs. Maybe they should, I don't know.

Anyway, couple other observations - hand holds on the corners of the seats along the aisle like they have on trains. And better lights - more directional, or not in the ceiling, for overnight flights so one light doesn't light up the whole cabin. And how about some kind of head support in the seats, so you have something to lean your head against. And for those who use headphones, maybe a small light near the seatbelt sign, perhaps replacing that useless no smoking light - that lights up when they are making an anoucement. For that matter haven't we advanced enough technically that we can have special chimes used for Flight Attendant use instead of having to use the no smoking sign just to signal the flight attendants? And finally, why can't the make the fuselage more oval shaped, so you get straighter sidewalls?

When some friends of mine got their Prius, it came with a pad of basic instruction sheets they could give to parking lot attendants, valet parkers and so on so they'd at least know how to get it moving.

I rented a diesel Renault Megane in the UK last years that you started by sliding a black plastic plaque into a big slot, waiting ten seconds, then pressing a button with a weird symbol on it. That took some figuring out.

On the Pontiacs that National and Alamo seem so in love with, you hold the door-unlock switch on the drivers side for two seconds and the trunk will open.

There is also something you can do with the door unlock control mounted on the driver's door. One of the Pontiacs (Lubbock of all places - no shortage of owner's manuals) I got stuck with had the owner's manual in the glove box.

I just don't think an automobile should be so complicated. The key lock controls on both the driver's door and key fob have different functions. One function activated by a single click and another function activated by a hold down for some indeterminate time.

Any human factors or industrial design study with real human subjects would easily uncover how user unfriendly this design is. I would argue that the design was motivated by cost cutting instead of user satisfaction. Each button has got to add at least $2 to the cost of the car.

The lid to the bin in aircraft lavs.
Why should it be so hard to push down the lid to throw away the paper after you've washed your hands ? I don't want to touch that dirty piece of metal now that my hands are clean.

Design Flaws

1. Seats shoul not be able to recline in coach.

2. The first light switch in the hotel room should actually light enough to see the room.

3. Hotel doors should always close themselves completely.

4. Bathrooms should have hooks to hang clothes for us shower steamers. I don't know how many times I have made some type of Rube Goldberg Eerector Set out of hangers and hung it from the air conditioning vent.

I thought I was the only person who routinely had trouble with hire cars so had to laugh at some of the posts on this thread. There have been times when I've had to go back to the booth and ask very politely if someone there can tell me how to open the door, to start the car... and, I've had my gold license for a long time!

[QUOTE=vietbet;9878786]Design Flaws

1. Seats shoul not be able to recline in coach. [QUOTE] During day flights, I completely agree. Overnight, everyone reclines so that's a different matter. Anyway, I swear I don't work for this guy, but I keep wondering if people have heard of these,

http://www.gadgetduck.com/goods/kneedefender.html

Because the lav trash compartment has it's own automatic fire extinguisher the door must be auto-closing in order to contain any possible fire. You sometime see similar "trap-doors" on galley trash bins.

While it IS gross to touch it I always use a piece of toilet paper to hold it open and then throw the tissue in the toilet and THEN flush. When working I try to spray the flush button, trash door, faucet controls, door lock/handle with disinfectant every so often.

Mis-aligned/badly aimed individual seat lights on airplanes.

Really really dim seat lights on airplanes.

25-watt reading light bulbs in 3-4 star hotel rooms...

And (from a height-challenged person) the miserable 'head rest' on airplane seats. I read somewhere that it's assumed that the flier will want to recline. I find it forces my neck to an uncomfortable position even reclining and it is really really bad sitting upright. Particularly evil if I'm in a seat with an unusually deep (front to back) seat - no lumbar support and a head rest forcing my head unnaturally forward - yikes!

And chewing gum in packets that, once opened, allow all the rest of the gum to fall out too easily.

I have been tempted to get a knee defender, for now I just fold up newspaper or a magazine and it works most of the time.

[QUOTE=vietbet;9878786]Design Flaws

1. Seats shoul not be able to recline in coach.

1. hotels that designed their sink faucets with spherical knobs. how could anyone be that stupid? ever tried turning a sphere with soapy hands?

2. El Paso airport signage lettering. Someone thought it would be great to use southwest style heavy block letters that have no readability and are just awful as you drive around the circle trying to figure out where to go. Real smart, guys. http://www.elpasotimesrealestate.com/images/airport.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/47/13...1a0836.jpg?v=0