Team Size and Individual Responsibilities
“So in closing, I think that information architecture is a skill, not a profession. However I also think that design, usability knowledge, XHTML/CSS coding, backend development, and the rest of them are all skills and not professions, so I’m not singling anyone out.” (Source: Business Logs, Author: Mike Rundle)
Is usability a profession or a skill?
My opinion? In a small company it is probably more of a skill whereas in a large organization it would be a skill and, in fewer circumstances, an actual position. There are real usability engineers floating around in larger companies, which pretty much means it is a profession. Further proof of “profession” would be Monster.com, HotJobs and Dice where you’ll find openings for “usability engineers” and similar folks.