[michaelpinto]

I don't agree with this article:

I think that when it comes to usability (and maybe even empathy) that some engineers are more talented than others. And even then there are some engineers who may not have that talent, but have an understanding that user interface design is important part of a product design.

The same also applies to other team members involved in software (from beta testers to those who do marketing): Some understand engineering better than others.

[delecti]

Obviously the premise is a generalization, but everything I've seen has led me to believe that the design skills of engineers (and the engineering skills of designers for that matter) fall on bell curves, in both cases leaning towards a lack of skill. It's not that engineers are universally awful at design, but rather that the majority of engineers don't prioritize and/or aren't especially good at making products that are usable.