I was at a talk once (Royal Albert Hall since you ask) when Saul Bass was bemoaning our inability to design even everyday things sensibly. Case in point: this tap [faucet] has water saving sensors to turn it on automatically (although whether it saves enough water to pay for the energy used is another question). Unfortunately, to trigger the sensor, your hands have to be above the rim of the basin, causing water to splash all over the place, and, if you’re not careful, down the front of your MKs .