H ow lo ng di dit t ake yo u to r ea d t his sent en ce? (How long did it take you to read this sentence?) That, right there, ...

The dream is flawless execution. It’s messier in reality. Things take a detour somewhere between the blueprint and the ribbon-cutting ceremony. A computation is overlooked. A material exhibits ...

Some design fails don’t just miss the mark; they look like they were approved by a committee that actively disliked the idea of “good.” The worst part is that most of them aren’t complicated mistakes.

Some designs miss the mark by a little, but these miss by a mile. You know the feeling: you reach for a handle that isn’t a handle, climb stairs that end in a wall, or read a label that argues with ...

All this time, I thought I was the only one who was upset about those ridiculous plastic tabs in sauce packets and sealed food packages. But it appears that I am not alone—which, somehow, makes me ...