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      In Design: A Very Short Introduction, Haskett attempts to define "design".  This seemingly simple task proves to be quite difficult in the end because of the ambiguous nature of design.  It is something that has  always been part of the human world and it has been and always will be present in all aspects of our society.  Haskett says "Very few aspects of the material environment are incapable of improvement in some significant way by greater attention being paid to their design." So according to Haskett, as long as there are improvements to be made, design will be present and changing in our society.
      Haskett attempts to use different elements of design to add to its definition, including utility, significance, objects, communication, and environment.  These terms aim to define the aspects of design ranging from the qualities of the product, how it is perceived by the customers, how products are visually displayed and advertised, and the external and internal environments in which the product will exist.  All of these descriptions though do little to simplify the definition of design, because they all vary with changes in society too and different variations between the components of design just lead to even more variation in the definition of design itself.
      Haskett's book brings up interesting and relevant aspects of design and society and attempts to explain the intricate pieces that make up design while causing the reader to think in depth about these pieces and about design as a whole. It definitely broadens one's ideas about what design is.