My nominations for the worst designs of all time:
CD Jewel Case:
The case cracks and the hinges break on your first attempt to open it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_case#Jewel_case
Ear Buds:
"fit comfortably in your ears and sound great"???--they don't sound too great to everyone within 20 feet of you on the subway or bus!
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=3CAB62F7&fnode=home/shop_ipod/ipod_accessories/headphones&nplm=MA662G/B
Miss Blanche by Shiro Kuramata:
Only because it is totally overrated; I was around in 1988 when it appeared and at that time it was trivial and irrelevant: somehow it has become an "icon of design"?? (apologies to Agnes Gund and Patricia Cisneros, two great ladies and true "icons" of art)
http://www.moma.org/collection/printable_view.php?object_id=2630