Designing for You or Me

Interesting debate on UCD process between 37signals, the company who has developed much of the Web 2.0 software and Don Norman, the usbaility guru. 37signals says that they make their software as they feel while Don Norman says it's the wrong way of doing things.

Both have exactly opposite ways of going about UCD process but both are well known for creating intuitive interfaces! But after reading the 'debate' i felt that when you are solving the common problems that both you and the user has, then there is no utmost need to start the process with users. But when you are designing something you ain't familiar to, thats when you need to start with users.

http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/904-why-we-disagree-with-don-norman