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The Deadly Secret Hiding in Your Grocery Store
Better UX could eliminate everyday products packaged to kill.
We often think of user experience (UX) design as the force behind seamless apps and intuitive websites. But, trust me, UX goes far beyond the digital world. It touches every aspect of how we interact with the world, including the physical products we use every day. And when UX design goes wrong, the consequences can be far more serious than a frustrating user interface — they can be fatal.
This article will get to the bottom of some chilling examples of how flawed design, particularly in product packaging, has led to dangerous and even deadly outcomes.
When detergents look like energy drinks…
In 2014, a seemingly innocuous marketing decision turned a Norwegian cycling race into a scene of medical distress. Six cyclists participating in the FredagsBirken race were hospitalized after mistakenly consuming Omo Aktiv & Sport, a laundry detergent, believing it to be an energy drink. The culprit? A combination of misleading branding and packaging that bore a striking resemblance to sports beverages.
The product’s name, “Aktiv & Sport,” coupled with its distribution at a cycling event, created a dangerous mental model for the athletes. The…
