BOOK OF BAD DESIGN - CHILDRENS' CUPS

Off and on I come across examples of either products or processes that are, in my opinion, badly designed. Whether it is traffic flow, exits from buildings, coffee cups or equipment, I try to come to terms with my frustration by consigning them to a place in my head: "There is another candidate for My Book of Bad Design".

Before I go any further I must point out that I do have a matching (smaller) fanciful book-in-the-making: My Book of Good Design but, frankly, I don't see it ever seeing the light of day simply for lack of material.

So today is the day I have decided to try and pull some of this together. From time to time I will make posts of such items, processes or systems as a way of cataloging them all.

My first submission relates to childrens' drinking cups. The pink and blue ones in the foreground are ones I bought in Helensburgh last year and they are terrible for spilling. They were not cheap; the stack in the background are IKEA's. However the design problem is the same - they are unstable.

My husband who is a structural engineer tells me that for stability the base of the cup should be as big as possible and the centre of gravity should be as low as possible. Tapering the sides of the cup inwards from top to bottom violates 2 basic principles of stability:

[1] The base should be as wide as possible

[2] The centre of gravity should be as low as possible.

The tapered shape should be banned by the Health and Safety Executive, so he says!

Needless to say, the next time you spill a mug of coffee, look at its shape!