The Case of the Malformed Scissors

Human Factors Design errors are faults in the design of an item that detract from the item’s usability and purpose. There are Human Factors Design errors all around us, and you probably know a few of them quite intimately. Weep as you hear the tale of this poor cutting implement.

A few weeks ago my Dad bought a pair of kitchen scissors from a dollar store. At the time of purchase it probably looked fine, and it actually works quite well. It’s a shame it was so badly designed.

The problem with this is the way the blade is secured to the frame. The frame extends onto the blade and obstructs it. Here's an illustrated example of the problem caused by this:

Before cutting


During cutting

The frame acts as a kind of depth gauge, stopping you from cutting any material thicker than a centimetre.

I don't know why they made this kind of stupid mistake when they got it right in a prior design:

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