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Even if I ignore all the different kinds of high school outreach they did, it’s obvious that they designed it to look like a USB stick quite intentionally. Fuck

Even if I ignore all the different kinds of high school outreach they did, it’s obvious that they designed it to look like a USB stick quite intentionally. Fuck this guy.

leetcrew 7y ago
first of all, what is wrong with intentionally making it look like a USB stick? second, is it possible that a flat rectangular box just happens to be the ideal form factor for a small electronic device meant to go in someone's pocket? of all the nefarious intentions attributed to juul, this seems like an odd one.
- neaden 7y ago
  It's to make it easier for teenagers to sneak into schools. This product was designed from the ground up with the goal of getting teens to use it.
  - drcross 7y ago
    That's a tenuous link to make. Vaping has contributed to harm reduction for a lot of people trying to get of cigarettes and they should be applauded for that.
    - ThePowerOfFuet 7y ago
      You know full well that isn't all of it. People don't choose mango flavour to stop smoking.
      - samatman 7y ago
        I did. I’m more than twice as old as the oldest high school student. By the way, screw you, specifically, and every other morally-panicked scold who have made it illegal to buy my preferred flavors off the shelf. Hope you’re proud.
        creddit 7y ago
        Clearly outside of community guidelines with the personal attack.
        toasterlovin 7y ago
        FWIW, the teen usage as the root cause that made it impossible for you to buy your preferred flavor legally. The more scolds are downstream.
      - leetcrew 7y ago
        please don't make such authoritative claims about stuff like this. I'm a 26yo ex-smoker, and I absolutely chose mango flavor to quit smoking. most of my (similar aged) friends that vape agree it's one of the best juul flavors. a key feature of vapes is that they actually taste better than cigarettes.
      - bigyikes 7y ago
        I'll occasionally spring for a disposable vape during stressful times, and now the lack of flavored cartridges has me considering a pack of cigarettes.
      - JamesBarney 7y ago
        I did, and almost everyone I know who quit smoking from Juul did as well. Where did your confidence come from on this topic? Adults love fruity things. Margaritas, mimosas, juice, etc..
      - stronglikedan 7y ago
        > People don't choose mango flavour to stop smoking. Of course they do! Fruit flavors help reduce the palatability of tobacco. I specifically chose them for that reason, and now my once cherished tobacco tastes disgusting, as intended. That one cheat cigarette while drinking is no longer desirable. While I share the sentiment of the others responding to you, I won't echo it out of civility, but they're correct. People like you have just made it exponentially harder for people who want to quit, while doing nothing to keep vapes out of the hands of teens who want them.
        pinot 7y ago
        In particular, Juul's tobacco carts tasted horrible. Same with their menthol.
      - dc3k 7y ago
        > People don't choose mango flavour to stop smoking. What an absurd assertion to make. Flavoured juice is a major reason I quit smoking cigarettes at 27. I know many, many people with similar stories.
      - shawnz 7y ago
        I agree with the GP's general claim that Juuls were designed to attract teenagers. But I don't agree with this one. Adults like flavored products too. Why wouldn't they?
    - bagacrap 7y ago
      It's not an either/or. Juul did market to teenagers. Juul did cause an enormous rebound in the amount of teenage nicotine use, which had fallen close to zero. For you it's a harm reduction tool and that's great, but it's not why Juul is so wildly successful.
- _jal 7y ago
  The freakish backlash about vaping strikes me as a classic moral scold's game, but I do actually agree that the form factor was likely intentionally chosen to be easily confused with USB sticks. The product was clearly carefully designed. A lot of money and market research went in to it, and the idea that nobody noticed the connection is not plausible. Hell, someone was likely carrying design documentation around _on a USB stick_ during the design process. And then you notice that other nicotine vape products and pot vape products mostly are not that shape... Had the ideal form been, say, easily confused with a switchblade, they would have found a way to work around that; developing a rep for getting their customers hassled/shot would be bad for business. Thinking through the real-world implications of design is what good product designers do. At best, it is marginally plausible that they noticed the connection but were indifferent, not considering the mistaken identity possibilities. But after typing that out, I have trouble buying it. It does not strike me as odd at all.

Even if I ignore all the different kinds of high school outreach they did, it’s obvious that they designed it to look like a USB stick quite intentionally. Fuck this guy.

leetcrew 7y ago

first of all, what is wrong with intentionally making it look like a USB stick? second, is it possible that a flat rectangular box just happens to be the ideal form factor for a small electronic device meant to go in someone's pocket? of all the nefarious intentions attributed to juul, this seems like an odd one.

neaden 7y ago
It's to make it easier for teenagers to sneak into schools. This product was designed from the ground up with the goal of getting teens to use it.
- drcross 7y ago
  That's a tenuous link to make. Vaping has contributed to harm reduction for a lot of people trying to get of cigarettes and they should be applauded for that.
  - ThePowerOfFuet 7y ago
    You know full well that isn't all of it. People don't choose mango flavour to stop smoking.
    - samatman 7y ago
      I did. I’m more than twice as old as the oldest high school student. By the way, screw you, specifically, and every other morally-panicked scold who have made it illegal to buy my preferred flavors off the shelf. Hope you’re proud.
      - creddit 7y ago
        Clearly outside of community guidelines with the personal attack.
      - toasterlovin 7y ago
        FWIW, the teen usage as the root cause that made it impossible for you to buy your preferred flavor legally. The more scolds are downstream.
    - leetcrew 7y ago
      please don't make such authoritative claims about stuff like this. I'm a 26yo ex-smoker, and I absolutely chose mango flavor to quit smoking. most of my (similar aged) friends that vape agree it's one of the best juul flavors. a key feature of vapes is that they actually taste better than cigarettes.
    - bigyikes 7y ago
      I'll occasionally spring for a disposable vape during stressful times, and now the lack of flavored cartridges has me considering a pack of cigarettes.
    - JamesBarney 7y ago
      I did, and almost everyone I know who quit smoking from Juul did as well. Where did your confidence come from on this topic? Adults love fruity things. Margaritas, mimosas, juice, etc..
    - stronglikedan 7y ago
      > People don't choose mango flavour to stop smoking. Of course they do! Fruit flavors help reduce the palatability of tobacco. I specifically chose them for that reason, and now my once cherished tobacco tastes disgusting, as intended. That one cheat cigarette while drinking is no longer desirable. While I share the sentiment of the others responding to you, I won't echo it out of civility, but they're correct. People like you have just made it exponentially harder for people who want to quit, while doing nothing to keep vapes out of the hands of teens who want them.
      - pinot 7y ago
        In particular, Juul's tobacco carts tasted horrible. Same with their menthol.
    - dc3k 7y ago
      > People don't choose mango flavour to stop smoking. What an absurd assertion to make. Flavoured juice is a major reason I quit smoking cigarettes at 27. I know many, many people with similar stories.
    - shawnz 7y ago
      I agree with the GP's general claim that Juuls were designed to attract teenagers. But I don't agree with this one. Adults like flavored products too. Why wouldn't they?
  - bagacrap 7y ago
    It's not an either/or. Juul did market to teenagers. Juul did cause an enormous rebound in the amount of teenage nicotine use, which had fallen close to zero. For you it's a harm reduction tool and that's great, but it's not why Juul is so wildly successful.
_jal 7y ago
The freakish backlash about vaping strikes me as a classic moral scold's game, but I do actually agree that the form factor was likely intentionally chosen to be easily confused with USB sticks. The product was clearly carefully designed. A lot of money and market research went in to it, and the idea that nobody noticed the connection is not plausible. Hell, someone was likely carrying design documentation around _on a USB stick_ during the design process. And then you notice that other nicotine vape products and pot vape products mostly are not that shape... Had the ideal form been, say, easily confused with a switchblade, they would have found a way to work around that; developing a rep for getting their customers hassled/shot would be bad for business. Thinking through the real-world implications of design is what good product designers do. At best, it is marginally plausible that they noticed the connection but were indifferent, not considering the mistaken identity possibilities. But after typing that out, I have trouble buying it. It does not strike me as odd at all.