The last twelve months seem to have been the time that so-called ‘usability experts’ have risen like the mythical Kraken to tell us lesser mortals how to make our websites, um, usable.

Part evangelists, part snake oil salesmen; these so-called ‘expert consultants’ preach the gospel according to Nielsen until they are blue in the face and yet…..well, they have no product. No real value to add to your business.

Nevertheless, it seems that every third person I meet these days claims to be a ‘web usability expert’ of some kind.

Let me be very clear. I’m not saying that ‘usability’ is not an important factor in web design and in converting visitors into leads. It is.

But it’s such a simple thing. There really isn’t that much to understand. If you’re visitor knows where (s)he is on your website, recognises what is a link and understands what to do or to click to find the information he or she is looking for; then that’s it. That’s usability.

It doesn’t take an overpaid ‘consultant’ to tell you that if you make your links blue and underlined, then your visitors will recognise them as a link, does it?

It doesn’t require outside expertise to tell you that if you want to make your website better, watch a few people using it and then make changes to make it easier to use.

The whole notion of ‘web usability consultants’ angers me. Probably more than it should, admittedly, but then again I’ve never claimed to be Mr Calm and Considered.

Part of the problem is that many usability ‘gurus’ are evangelicals, whose interest is not so much in the conversion process of the website but in advancing an agenda that would keep all websites looking like they were designed (badly) in 1996.

Personal opinion and subjectivity of this kind has no place in 21st online business processes.

As I’ve already stated, usability in it’s most worthwhile form is so simple, there is no need for any so-called consultants to assist with it. Furthermore, despite what usability evangelicals might tell, it is - to use So-Cal teen speak - not all that.

If it was, MySpace.com would never have been successful and no one would ever wear a thong.

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