Is it just me who thinks all this hype around usability is totally overblown? Not that usability isn’t important – it’s essential – but it should be a fundamental part of the design process, not some bolt-on that requires specialist external consultants. We shouldn’t be needing to draw attention to it – it should go without saying. Shame that’s not the case.

I wonder what all those usability specialists advertising in the back of New Meda Age magazine will be calling themselves next year? Can’t blame them for following the gold rush, I suppose. Funny how so many of their sites don’t validate or follow best practice, though… And why does there seem to be an implicit assumption that usability = crap visual design?

Roll on the day when web design is professionalised (and the barriers to entry are somewhere up in the stratosphere ;-) ). I won’t hold my breath…

Rant over.