12 videos · 2 hr 35 minThings You Never Look At
A relaxed list for a slow afternoon, made from the design explainers HN links whenever someone says 'there is a great video about this'. It starts with short pieces on sound and doors, moves to manufactured objects and the appliances that were better in the past, and widens out to design failures that cost lives or miss their users. It ends with Saul Bass pitching a logo, which HN holds up as how to present design.
Play all on YouTube- 11:45
Why Do Reversing Trucks Not Beep Any More?
Tom Scott · Picked by 3 · 2016–2026A one-minute opener on why backup alarms switched to white noise: it is easier to tell where the sound comes from.
- 25:32
It's not you. Bad doors are everywhere.
Vox · Picked by 2 · 2019–2025The short, canonical explainer of the Norman door, which introduces the idea of affordances that the rest of the list relies on.
- 34:26
British Plugs Are Better Than All Other Plugs, And Here's Why
Tom Scott · Picked by 3 · 2019–2025The video HN posts every time plugs come up: fuses, shutters, and safety built into the shape.
- 411:39
The Ingenious Design of the Aluminum Beverage Can
engineerguy · Picked by 9 · 2016–2026Bill Hammack explains why a can is shaped the way it is, HN's standard example of a well-designed mass-produced object.
- 5
14:21The Antique Microwave Oven that's Better than Yours
Technology Connections · Picked by 7 · 2020–2025An old microwave with a steam sensor, cited in many HN threads as proof that older appliances could be smarter.
- 6
11:02How to design an actually good toaster with lessons from the 1940's
Technology Connections · Picked by 2 · 2022–2024More appliance nostalgia: why a 1940s Sunbeam toaster still sets the standard.
- 7
11:22Thomas Thwaites: How I built a toaster -- from scratch
TED · Picked by 2 · 2019–2025Paired with the previous video: building one cheap toaster from ore and oil shows how much industry a simple object depends on.
- 8
13:55Segmented Displays
Posy · Picked by 3 · 2023–2026A calm tour of seven-segment displays and stranger alternatives that only appear in old patents.
- 9
8:21The Grille Trend that Kills 509 People per Year
FortNine · Picked by 5 · 2024–2026The tone gets serious: a styling trend, tall truck hoods, tied directly to pedestrian deaths.
- 10
27:36Why Western Designs Fail in Developing Countries
Design Theory · Picked by 2 · 2024–2025Widens the frame to expert blindness, meaning designs that only work in the culture they were made for.
- 11
18:19Why city flags may be the worst-designed thing you've never noticed | Roman Mars
TED · Picked by 3 · 2017–2023Roman Mars's five rules for flags, which HN reuses for logos and branding.
- 12
27:00AT&T Archives: Saul Bass Pitch Video for Bell System Logo Redesign
AT&T Tech Channel · Picked by 2 · 2022–2024It ends with the 1969 pitch film HN considers a masterclass in explaining and selling a design.