Wenn ich einen Stuhl sehe - sehe ich dann wirklich nur ein Zeichen? / When I See a Chair - Must I See a Sign of It?

In the debate among proponents of semiotics, product language and a semantics for design, I am responding to Susann Vihma's invitation to a "further discussion" and will address three issues: the (in)adequacy of semiotic theories for design, my concept of meaning, and her interpretation of the task of product semantics. Vihma and I have a common concern/or meaning in design. Our differences stem mainly from diverging epistemological commitments, in her case to the ontology of semiotic theory, in my case to a human-centered approach to design.