Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Bad design

Why is there so much bad design in the world? I am puzzled by the design of some new shopping centers/malls near me.

Giant shopping centers with only one way in or out, not enough parking, streets that don't make sense and take you around in circles, stores in a mall spread out so far apart you literally have to drive from one store to another, and if you do try to walk, you take your life in your hands, because they have no areas for walking. You shouldn't have to go a dozen times before you can figure out the best way in and out of the place.

Maybe the design looked nice on paper, but I wonder if the men who designed them (I'm guessing men... may not be fair, but that's my guess) have spent any time actually shopping in any large malls. They're not designed for convenience and ease of use, that's for sure. After a try or two, I now avoid going to these places, (as do others I know) which I'm assuming was not their goal, at least from a marketing standpoint... let's make it so difficult and irritating, that no one will want to go there!

Certainly not the most important problem in the world, but, if you were designing a shopping center, wouldn't you try for convenient ... instead of annoying?

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