Mike Elgan has a good article in ComputerWorld, Why products fail. He makes a point that many usability tests really miss the entire point of what people really want in a product.
When you ask someone what they really want, they won't tell you the truth because they're not aware of the truth.
Both users and product designers alike talk about user interface (UI)
consistency, usability and simplicity, and system attributes like
performance and stability. What's missing is that these attributes are
means to an end. The real issue is always the user's physiological
feeling of being in control.
In the article, he later goes on to support his argument. I think he is right, true usability is all about control. Something for all of us to ponder about the next time we participate in a usability exercise for our content management system.


