So often times you have to battle just to get a user-friendly design worked into the picture and for the real users’ needs to be considered in the design.

We’re seeing developments and challenges in UxD like found with technologies such as Flash and AJAX, etc. But we, as good user interface designers, still need to see how best to use these technologies while still maintaining conventions. However, we still need to be working to continually improve the user experience as well.

Conventions are conventions for a reason. It’s what works. It has been said before that conventions should be used unless there is a very strong case to break them. With that being said, a better user experience IS a reason to break them if you can provide it without the convention… And of course, thorough testing is the key for anything new and different.

You’ve succinctly captured the dilemna that IA’s face. Usability is HUGELY important. So is usefulness—but if you can’t view the Interaction Design process as CREATIVE—then IA’s are doomed to fall back on only executing solutions that are safe. All in in the name of usability of course.

The model that IA’s need to look to is a hybrid of product design and experience design. These disciplines blend usefulness, usability and desirability—all in the name of providing a wonderful experience.

All sounds fluffy I know—but it’s why we want things that work and are beautiful and happen to make a statment about ourselves. Interactive experiences are not all that different.

It’s good to get out there on the highwire… but testing is definitely the answer.