Bad volume sliders are a masterclass in terrible UI design

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We've all been faced with egregious examples of UI design at times. They're infuriating if you actually have to deal with them. But if they're not actively preventing you from doing something they can be entertaining, and can even provide useful tips on how not to do things.

So, what happens when coders and designers deliberately set out to create staggeringly bad UI? Well, that's exactly what's been happening recently over on Reddit.

It started with an innocent enough post in r/ProgrammerHumor, asking, "Who can make the best volume slider?" and accompanied by this fantastic GIF:

Oh. Oh my word. Who could possibly top this?

This being the internet, things got swiftly out of hand, as this cavalcade of crimes against usability will attest.

'Hold my beer'

Actual genius

Actually, yeah, why not?

There's probably a 'dicey' pun in this one

Fun for all the family

Literally pumping up the volume

10/10, would definitely use

It's the bad colour choice that really make this one pop

But what if you want a volume of more than 90?

Not content with merely creating images and animated GIFs, someone's even gone to the trouble of making a (sort of) working version of one of our favourites – click and hold the speaker icon to play.

Brilliant. If you're after some excellent tips on how not to do UI, or just want to see more usability hilarity, head over to r/Programmers, where the dreadful sliders are still coming in thick and fast.

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