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Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?

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Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?

#721

Post by spodek »

The bicycle wheel. I can't believe 16 hours and nobody mentioned it (that I found anyway). You will find few things that serve their functions so well with such a minimum of material.

The General Public License. The foundation of Linux, Wikipedia, and more. Every company and government agency that took it on lost. It uses the rules it wants to subvert to subvert them.

The United States Constitution. So far it has withstood onslaughts and survived. We may be seeing the end of it, but people have said that before. It's inspired many others. The United States may be young, as cultures go, but our Constitution is, I believe, the oldest.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?

#722

Post by [deleted] »

Misdicorl wrote: post #158
raz32dust wrote: post #130

Google flights is fantastic. Don't know if it is "the best-designed thing I've ever used", but it is on top of my mind as I just used it yesterday. Google doesn't get enough credit for the things that they did do well - including Search and Maps. Another is Macbooks - the pre-2015 ones at least. I haven't used the latest M1 ones, which I hear great things about. The Aluminum body, the flawless screen, magsafe, great…

I must disagree with you on maps. Google maps is a fantastic geographic aware search. It is a horrific map. On any given screen there is an 80% chance that the major road I'm interested in is not labeled. Finding the name of a relevant cross street is a nightmare. I feel like it used to be better. Way better. I think the map aspect has been dropped entirely as a real feature now that they supply directions (search) p…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?

#723

Post by jessriedel »

jjj123 wrote: post #399
jessriedel wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Useful observations, but is this really a comment on design? The key feature, a robust connection, is just software/firmware quality.

Firmware and software that influences user experience is absolutely valid for a design discussion. Prioritizing ease of connection was a design decision, and not one that’s inevitable (see a dozen other duly wireless earbuds that don’t do it as well).

I agree that if the prioritization decision was made as a trade-off then this could be a question of design, but something would need to be said about that. Saying "I like the design of my car because it goes fast" doesn't really make sense unless you bring up what was changed (e.g., the aerodynamics, or the missing backseats, or whatever).

Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?

#725

Post by theduemmer »

kortilla wrote: post #490
theduemmer wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately I don't see them creating a price filter as they are mainly geared at businesses vs. hobbyists or consumers, where "get it here fast" is more important than saving a few dollars. That being said, I find adding all of the prospective parts to the cart works well for me when I want to compare prices

I’ve yet to work in a business that doesn’t care about the price of something. This is particularly true when we are evaluating parts that might be used in production at scale.

For what it's worth, I work in industrial controls. More or less all of the machines we design are one-offs so engineering and labor time dominates the cost of projects vs. materials.

Additionally, unplanned downtime is extremely expensive. If a machine breaks down and a replacement part isn't on the shelf, getting that part fast is much more important than saving a few dollars. Same goes for if we end up with a bunch of guys waiting around for a part to get installed.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?

#727

Post by corinroyal »

timemachine wrote: post #180

Kitchenaid direct-drive stand mixer. I have one from the 1950s that has been used multiple times a week since it was bought new by my grandmother. The dough hook, whisk, and other attachments secure in place with machined fittings so there is no play or wiggle. This has made them last. I took the top off of it 10 years ago to make sure it was still properly lubricated. That’s all the maintenance it has ever had. (Wel…

I just got one, and am impressed that the attachment port has not ever changed, so any attachment will work on every Kitchenaid mixer. Can I ask what you use yours for? I'm still trying to figure out what its best at.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?

#729

Post by aidog »

akg_67 wrote: post #388
mattzito wrote: post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I worked for squarespace, their beautiful new offices had glass conference room doors that swung one way, the other way, or slid on a track, depending on the room configuration. However every one of those doors had the same handle on both sides, giving you no clue as to which scenario this door was providing. You saw people pull/push the wrong way all the time, and then look up/to the side to see the hinges and…

It reminded me of my experience at a Japanese Onsen (hot spring) last week. While entering the Onsen, the sliding door is automated and slides to open on it’s own. While exiting, the automated sliding doesn’t work. It has handles with no indication of pull or push or slide. The design of handles suggest most probably pull. I kept trying to pull/push with no movement. Finally, realized I am supposed to use those handl…

Sliding doors are very common in Japan. My home has them and they are great for saving space. They are sometimes hard to spot outside.
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