1. Why were each of the systems described in this box regarded as a failure? Failure to understand the needs of customers and work these thoroughly into the design can cause problems that only emerge after the product or service is in use. This can be especially true when designers are motivated solely by the exciting possibilities offered by a new technology. For example, many of the so-called ‘intelligent buildings’ that incorporated extensive information technology, have suffered initial teething problems. One building incorporated ‘intelligent blinds’ on its windows. These were supposed to go up and down in response to the amount of sunlight falling on the windows. The outside light was sampled every seven minutes. On a sunny day, the blinds were supposed to remain down and when it was cloudy they would stay up to let in more light. Unfortunately, when the sun passed behind a small cloud the blinds could go up and stay there for seven minutes. On intermittently cloudy days the blinds would be forever going up and down, to the considerable annoyance of staff, especially those with computer screens. The problem was eventually ‘solved’ when staff piled books on the bottom of the blinds until the motors blew up. Another building had conference rooms in which the lights were activated by sensors in the ceiling, which reacted to movement and heat. The lights went on automatically when people entered the room. Unfortunately, this was the only mechanism by which the lights went on and off, so if someone wanted to show slides, everyone in the room had to sit still until the lights went out.