One interface or physical object that can be frustrating to a user are doors with handles designed to be pushed. There have been many instances where I kept trying to pull a door when in the end all I had to do was push in order to enter a room. I have seen other people experience this too, and it can be pretty funny watching them use all their strength only to then realize pushing is the answer. I haven’t encountered a door like this as of recent as many of them can open themselves or are well designed enough for one to clearly understand how to open them. For the confusing doors that are still out there, those meant to be pushed can incorporate bar handles, specify whether it’s to be pulled or pushed with a label, or just omit the handles entirely as one would naturally try to push considering there doesn’t seem to be any other way.
Another example is a tv controller. Many times my grandmother has gotten frustrated navigating through menus using a Philips controller due to the sheer amount of buttons that are present and how some function differently depending on the mode. I still don’t know what the four colored buttons are for. To improve the design of the controller we had, one could apply arrows for the directional inputs and reduce the number of buttons such as getting rid of the settings button as it should be easily found whenever going to the home menu. One may even incorporate a touch pad to further simplify the controller to contain only the basic operations and leave the rest to an on-screen user interface that utilizes this touch pad.
A third interface is plastic clamshell packaging. This type of packaging is useful for small items such as micro sd cards as it makes them stand out more and can discourage theft due to its bulkiness and how difficult it is to get the item inside. Nonetheless, for a consumer, opening them can be a frustrating task, especially if one doesn’t have the necessary tools, and may even cause one to injure themselves (as I’ve done to myself a couple of times). Imagine buying scissors on the internet to open this kind of packaging only for it to arrive inside one itself (oof). Possible ways to facilitate this task can be to include perforations or opening tabs, written instructions to inform the user the best possible way to open it if they find themselves lost or believe applying brute force is the only way, or cardboard instead of plastic as part of the back for less expensive items such as toys.
These are good examples. Don Norman, who first talked about the “language of doors” would appreciate your first one. If you have a photo of a frustrating door, you might add that!
The TV controllers (and the suite of multiple controllers that many people end up with) is a real issue. It’s getting a little better with TVs that are more like computers themselves, and you can just up-down-left-right around your options, but it’s slow.