Abstract

The increasing scale of designed objects forming our artifactual environment has been often noted. However, description, interpretation and analysis of this dense realm has generally proceeded through discussions of aesthetic attributes, semiotic significance and the meanings that such designed objects convey. This paper argues that this interpretative focus has occluded the extent to which the environment of consumer goods has been increasingly marked by the eclipse of the functional utility of such artifacts. Following the insights of Donald Norman, Albert Borgmann and Ivan Illich, three dimensions of use-value, the cognitive, the experiential and the convivial respectively, are considered. The origins of a dynamic towards the eclipse of use- value will be outlined and alternative approaches to understanding the practical significance of such designed objects will be advanced.