How modern web design works

I wish the title of this article was more inline with its thesis, which is found further down:

> modern web design has much more in common with product and industrial design than it has with print or graphic design.

His examples of industrial design flaws that look snazzy are bang on, and replicate problems often found in web designs. You gotta USE a thing to know if it's designed well. The Design of Every Day Things[1] should really be required reading for designers charged with designing for the web.

One of the best ways of knowing whether your design is effective is to watch people use it. The assumptions you made about how your audience will use your design will likely be blown away, and watching them try to accomplish the site's goal will lead you towards designs that help them do that more effectively.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d...