The design of everyday things

A five-minute Vox explainer on Norman doors: doors whose handles and shapes say the opposite of what they do, so people push when they should pull. It uses the example to introduce Don Norman and the idea that good design communicates how a thing works.

Technology Connections' Alec Watson examines a 1960s Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster and explains how it works. It senses the bread's browning, lowers and raises the bread automatically, and does all of this with analog mechanical parts and no electronics.

Alec Watson of Technology Connections looks at Sunbeam toasters from the 1940s and uses them to argue what a good modern toaster should do. It is a design critique of an everyday appliance.

Technology Connections' Alec Watson explains how a simple analog rice cooker works. When the water boils away the pot temperature rises above 100 degrees C, and a magnetic switch that loses its magnetism at a set temperature cuts the heat and drops the cooker to warm mode.

Technology Connections reviews an older microwave oven and compares its controls and features with those of microwaves today. He argues that the older design's controls and sensing suit the job better than the newer ones.

Technology Connections investigates the popcorn button on microwaves: what it is meant to do, why it works on some machines, and why it is nearly useless on most. It is a small case study in a control whose label doesn't match what it does.

Technology Connections explains why wall light switches click, covering the snap-action mechanism and the design reasons behind the sound and feel. It also touches on sparking inside switches.

Technology Connections looks at the humble can opener and the safety can opener in particular. The video uses it to show how well-designed everyday tools get overlooked and how people keep using worse ones without asking if something better exists.

Technology Connections explains why hurricane lanterns have their odd shape. It follows how each part of the lantern shapes the way air and flame behave.

Bill Hammack of engineerguy explains the design of the two-liter plastic soda bottle, looking at how its shape and structure are suited to holding a carbonated drink and to being mass-produced.

Technology Connections looks at the switch from incandescent to LED traffic lights, including the worry that LEDs don't melt snow, and uses it to explain a way of thinking about change he calls 'but sometimes'. He argues that pointing to rare downsides shouldn't stop a technology that is better overall.

Technology Connections looks at why North American cars signal turns in a way that can be ambiguous, including red turn signals that share the brake light. The video compares US practice with the amber signals used elsewhere.

A Technology Connections explainer on how electric cars with one-pedal driving slow down without always lighting the brake lights. It argues that brake light rules are outdated and should be rethought, and that some makers handle it better than others.

Alec Watson of Technology Connections explains why American cars had the same standardized headlights for decades, and how the rules of the time shaped what they looked like. It also covers what changed once the rules did.

A Bloomberg Originals video about the electronic door-release design on Tesla vehicles and the safety concerns it raises. It looks at what happens when a convenience-driven redesign of a basic physical control becomes hard to operate in an emergency.

Tom Scott visits a turntable ferry in Scotland, where the whole deck rotates so vehicles can drive on and off without reversing. He explains why that is a clever solution for a small slipway.

A CGP Grey video, originally titled Metric Paper and Everything in the Universe, about the A-series paper sizes, where each sheet cut in half keeps the same proportions. It uses paper as a way into the metric system and zooms through scales from the smallest lengths to the observable universe.

Designer Thomas Thwaites tells how he tried to build an electric toaster from scratch, making it from raw materials instead of buying parts. The short TED talk shows how complex even a cheap everyday appliance turns out to be.

AvE takes apart a Juicero cold-press juicer and comments on its parts as he goes, covering the machining, plastics and electronics. His take is that the design is far more elaborate and expensive than the job needs. It is a long video with strong language.

Linus Tech Tips tells the story of designing and manufacturing their own screwdriver, and why it took three years. It covers handle size, bit storage, the ratchet mechanism and switching factories in China.