How to improve poor usability

I just can't close the window without sharing to you guys this nice article from Matthew Thomas. It's about why free software has poor usability, and how can it be improved. You see, this doesn't just apply to software but also to web development. I learned a lot of new things that made me realize my mistakes. Topics like why modularization will make design mediocre is a wake-up call to me as I've been striving to build a CMS and it feels like some design aspects are sacrificed, and the other one which is about assuming that proprietary designs are good makes me think that copying the designs of proprietary alternatives is like going on to another mistake. A genuine design should always be the effort to make.

Read this short but straightforward article and learn the essence of usability.