A couple of good examples of "good usability benefits everyone":
The company OXO makes kitchen gadgets originally designed for reduced mobility (i.e. older people) but now popular with everyone.
The ADA: having, for example, a ramp, doesn't just help people in wheelchairs: if I have something difficult to carry (or am using a cart) or have a temporary injury that makes steps hard to navigate I'm glad there's a ramp.
In many ways I consider the vast majority of designers and architects to be working away from their putative goals, instead pursuing egotism.
The company OXO makes kitchen gadgets originally designed for reduced mobility (i.e. older people) but now popular with everyone.
The ADA: having, for example, a ramp, doesn't just help people in wheelchairs: if I have something difficult to carry (or am using a cart) or have a temporary injury that makes steps hard to navigate I'm glad there's a ramp.
In many ways I consider the vast majority of designers and architects to be working away from their putative goals, instead pursuing egotism.