GUI Bloopers: How Not to Design Software
http://www.stcsig.org/usability/newsletter/0010-johnson.html

Johnson, Jeff
Usability Interface
2000

Abstract:

Why are so many software products, electronic appliances, and online services difficult to learn and frustrating to use? Here’s one reason: most are designed and developed with little or no guidance from people professionally trained in making products and services usable. As a user-interface consultant, I am often called in to review or test software and suggest improvements. The problems I find are usually the result of the software having been designed by people who may be professionals at software engineering and programming, but are amateurs at user-interface design. Consequently, the software contains design errors that make it difficult to learn and use. Many of the errors are extremely common and can easily be avoided.