Bad design vs good design. Why we notice the bad stuff but not the good.

A hotel shower explains how great design removes friction

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Good design is supposed to make your life easier, but when we think about bad design vs good design, most of the time we only notice when it fails. Take hotel showers. When I stay at hotels, here’s what generally happens:

I reach into a gleaming glass stall, turn a beautiful chrome handle, and then get blasted with freezing water. Because the controls are positioned in exactly the wrong place, you have to lean into the spray before you can adjust the temperature.

It’s a universal design flaw, hiding in plain sight.

Why Bad Design Demands Our Attention

Recently, I stayed at the Reihart House Hotel in Buffalo, New York, and found something different. The spigot sits on one side, the controls are on the other, so you can stand safely outside, reach in, set the temperature, test the water, and then step in calmly without frantically dodging a cold-water baptism or needing to throw a towel on the floor to mop up your mistake.

Bad Design vs Good Design. A Hotel Shower That Gets It Right

That shower worked because someone took the time to think about the person who would be using it. That’s a great example of design solving a real problem.

But First, A Story.

Years ago, I heard an architect share one of his favorite lessons.

In 1938, Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Florida Southern College campus. When the school asked him to plan the walkways, Wright did something unusual. He told them not to lay out any sidewalks. Instead, he said to wait a year or two and then return to see where the students had already worn natural dirt paths across the grass. Those would be the routes they preferred, and that’s how he’d know where the sidewalk should go.

The architects said, “Great designers, pay attention to the paths people create for themselves, because the real work is not deciding what the world should look like. The real work is watching how people move through it.”

I was so enthralled by this idea that I tried to learn more about Wright’s Insight.

What the Research Actually Confirms About Bad Design vs Good Design.

Sadly, I couldn’t find any citation or historical account confirming this legend in reputable sources. What I learned is that it’s a popular anecdote in design circles and often shows up in discussions about desire paths or user-centered design principles, but the lesson still holds even if the story is apocryphal.

Good design cooperates with you. Bad design fights with you.

That’s why we notice doors that require signs explaining whether to push or pull.

Hotel rooms where every light switch controls something unexpected. Or rental cars where you can’t figure out how to put the transmission in reverse. Poor design creates problems that were never there, while good design solves problems before you even know they exist.

Norman doors in UX design

Design Is About Removing Friction

Good design is all about removing friction. Your work follows the same rules. Whether you build brands, lead teams, heal patients, or serve clients. Your goal is always to remove friction and understand the human on the other side of your transaction.

Human-centered design principles

Here is the simple framework most design-centered, problem-solving should follow:

The Real Difference Between Bad Design vs Good Design. 

• First, question before you think.
• Second, think before you plan.
• Third, plan before you act.

If your organization is planning conferences or leadership programs in 2026, I would love to help your audience find clarity in their messaging and purpose in their work.

My keynotes combine real stories, practical tools, and ideas that people remember long after the room goes quiet. When you’re ready to talk about bringing that experience to your next event, reach out. I would be glad to help.