Usability on the web is a sham - Oh, really?

His name is Ryan Stewart and he posted this article at ZNET on December 13. » Usability on the web is a sham | The Universal Desktop | ZDNet.com
In his brief history of the Web and its transformation from academic library to marketing gorilla, he notes: "As this transformationn) happened, people conjured up the notion of 'usability' so that the web could be a more friendly place."

Conjured up the notion of usability? Would that Mr. Stewart spent a little time finding out the history of usability and exactly what usability tries to achieve. Take this quote, please.
"Trying to imprint usability guidelines that are based on the browser in blanket fashion on the web is going to stifle innovation and make the web less friendly."

Stewart's bug is the belief that usability standards and accessibility standards are written in stone and do not, or cannot, adapt to changes in Web technology. Usability, he says, will try to squash this innovation; rich Internet applications will squash usability.
Usability experts, Stewart's article let's you cast a vote and leave feedback. Make sure he hears from you.

More flash-AJAX debate

Is it something in the air? WebProNews.com ran this article by Kimberly Krause Berg about the same time Shari Thurow wrote hers (below) on the whole Flash-AJAX usability debate.Nightmares in Usability

Flash, AJAX, Usability, and SEO

Maybe the emperor has no clothes. After attending a conference on search engine strategies, aimed primarily at marketers, Shari Thurow wonders how these people know that the Web market wants lots of Flash and AJAX on every site. Flash, AJAX, Usability, and SEO
Shari doubts most of her colleagues have a clue about usability.
"I'm a usability professional. I don't throw bells and whistles on a Web page because I think they're cool. I want to know if my client's target audience believes the bells and whistles are useful (user confidence) and if they actually use them for the intended purpose (task completion)," Shari writes.
She goes on to explain to the uneducated marketers just a few techniques for "listening" to their users.

Mizzou Web site gets "usability" examination

Universities often have huge Web sites, much of which is under no central design, content, or user experience team. The University of Missouri-Columbia Information Experience Lab decided to put the schools site to the test. Information Experience Lab Examines Web Site 'Usability'
Unfortunately, I could not find the actual report, only this press release. Note the quotes around "usability." Does the Mizzou PR department think this is not a real word?

Do you have mouse rage? Worse, do you cause mouse rage?

Do you have these symptoms?

• Heart rate quickens
• Increased sweating
• Furious clicking of the mouse
• Simultaneous clicking and cursing the screen
• Bashing the mouse

You, my friend, suffer from mouse rage!

According to a commissioned study put out by Social Issues Research Centre in the UK, the leading causes of mouse rage are:

• Slow to load pages
• Confusing / difficult to navigate layouts
• Excessive pop-ups
• Unnecessary advertising
• Site unavailability

As a usability expert, make sure your clients read this article. It gives backbone to all your nagging.