Of course, I’m all for encouraging critical thinking. I only wish that it was applied to the practice and profession of usability (IA, UX, UCD, etc. Pick your favorite name.)

Given that Gerry doesn’t know much about usability, and
that what usability he has been exposed to is inconsistent at best, nonsensical at worst, it’s no surprise that Gerry’s article has questionable information and logic.

I certainly dont know what “usability best practice” is, and no one else does either. Common practice? Most effective practice? Some combination of the two? The problem is talking about “usablility” in general - assuming a common definition, a common practice, common methodologies, and/or a common profession. Those assumptions are wrong. The only current way around them is talking about specific practitioners, methodologies, results, and/or knowledge. Otherwise “usability” is meaningless.