Bad taps, Good taps

Continuing our theme of systems thinking and the need for a new aesthetics — oh, what the heck, let's talk about taps.

I have encountered many wonderful things here in Mexico, but these taps are not among them.

After nearly a week, I still have no idea which I am supposed to turn them to achieve the desired effect — or any effect, come to that.

The tap below, on the other hand, is a revelation. You learn to press the little lever *just so*, and get just the water you need, with no waste, no scalding, and no stress.

Thank you Mr or Ms Mexican tap designer for this breakthrough.

Comments [2]

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily…

VR/

Joe Moran
06.24.11
11:29

Is anyone else bothered by faucets that don't give you enough room between the stream of water and the side of the sink?

Ken
07.04.11
04:45

John Thackara is a writer, speaker and design producer, and director of Doors of Perception. In addition to this blog, he is the author of twelve books including In The Bubble: Designing In A Complex World and Wouldn’t It Be Great If….

More from John Thackara

When Tech In Care Is Evil
I spent the last two weeks in-and-around a care home in England that looks after people with dementia and terminal illness, and their families – including, this time, mine.

Food As A Commons
People go hungry not because of a shortage of production, but because the food available is too expensive, or they lack the land to grow it on. In California, the prototype of a combined social, political and technical solution has been launched which promises to unlock the food system crisis.

Presence and Encounter — How We Meet Is As Important As Why
I’m not suggesting that we abandon social media — just that we cultivate a hybrid approach so whenever someone says “online” someone else says, “and what about offline?”. Or when we find ourselves inside, someone else says: “and when do we go outside?”

Keep Your Stuff Alive
What would fashion be like if it was more than a an act of consumption with no meaning beyond the point of sale? What kind of system would improve the quality of our fashion experience without increasing the quantity we consume?

Cloud Commuting
A two-year project in Belgium proposes new relationships between people, goods, energy, equipment, spaces, and value. Its design objective: a networked mobility ecosystem.

Jobs | November 05