One refreshing statement in the first chapter is ALL ARTIFICIAL THINGS ARE DESIGNED. No matter if the thing is physical. People make functions, systems and work flows out of existing materials with thought of design. As for everyday objects, engineers create the technologies and it is the design works that enable people to use technologies. Good design speaks for itself. Its layout instructs itself and direct users to operate. But in my opinion, this process is based on a shared knowledge of signals. For example, when you see a button, you push it. When you see a knob, you turn it. But what if a person never see buttons or knobs? Is the reaction to buttons and knobs a nature or a convention?