---
title: Should we fix poor design
date: 2026-08-14T10:09:23+05:30
categories:
    - how-i-do-things
---

Sugar (or condensed milk) in tea I get often stays unmixed at the bottom. I forget to stir it.

Is that poor design that should be fixed?\
Or is the steadily increasing sweetness of the tea a brilliant feature?

Anyway, I therefore lick the bottom of the cup to get every last bit of sweetness.\
But this cup is so deep that my tongue can _just_ about reach the bottom.\
And I _can't_ reach the botom near the handle, because my nose is in the way.

![](https://files.s-anand.net/images/2026-08-14-should-we-fix-poor-design-tea-cup.webp)

Is that poor design that should be fixed?\
Or is the 3 minutes of delight I get from fighting with the cup, making it a game, a brilliant feature?

Now that I've had it, I probably shouldn't take sweets until the evening.

Is that agony poor design that should be fixed?\
Or is the delight of one chunk of chocolate after a day of abstinence and yearning a brilliant feature?

![Calvin & Hobbes say it much better than I can.](https://picayune.uclick.com/comics/ch/1993/ch930307.gif)

(My brain feels there's some cool insight here, but can't figure it out. Is that poor design? Or our best differentiator from AI?)