True, and I do think there is strong validity in blind user testing so as to better shape and improve initial designs to a more finished form. However, I do th

True, and I do think there is strong validity in blind user testing so as to better shape and improve initial designs to a more finished form. However, I do think there is some merit in getting those in the actual field of functional and "good" design (as the author defines it) to weigh in on why precisely your design is just that. In my own UI/UX research, users all too often miss fully comprehending the painstaking research and work that goes into truly effective and good design. I guess what my argument really is is that I would prefer to weigh more heavily the affirmation of those in the design field rather than a broad range of users with no particular ethos concerning design. Of course, who we end up designing for is the normal user, and what they think is indeed important. However, if 100 people said my design was good vs. hearing that from, say, Mike Matas, I would pick Mike Matas.