The Worst Design Crimes of 2018
From tech companies exploiting users to voting ballots that undermined democracy, there was plenty of bad design to choose from
By Katharine Schwab
2018 was a year in which design failed us. Sure, there were some bright spots, but in so many cases, software and hardware design seemed to miss the mark. We learned more and more about how tech companies are using design to deceive us, inciting us to share more data, buy more things, and spend more time with their products — but the failures of tech companies paled in comparison to the poor ballot and voting machine design of the midterm elections.
These are some of the biggest design failures of a year that offered plenty of them.
Dongles and Cracked Screens
Though Apple released its most advanced phone ever this year, other aspects of its hardware design left much to be desired. Take the dreaded $9 dongle you need to use any of the company’s new phones with non-Bluetooth headphones. This year, this bit of wire — which users complain breaks easily and is hard to keep track of — became Best Buy’s bestselling Apple product.
