I really adore this article: Boxes and Arrows: Taking the "you" out of user: My experience using personas

"Like a recovering substance abuser, it's a constant challenge for me to refrain-- can always imagine that I'm the user. "

Exactly. for a year I had "You are not the user" taped to my monitor and I still backslide.

I would rather make personas and run tests, but my boss and co-workers think I can think like a user, and I can't dissuade them. They want me to issue edicts of “Users do this!” or “Users never do that.”

In a related issue, the QA guy has veto power on sites going live, but I don't. I think I should have veto power, at least for severe issues. What good does a technically flawless site do if no one can use it? I should explain that my job title is web designer, but I would not mind moving into an information architect or usability engineer role 100% of the time as my company expands.

How is this handled in your company?

Does your boss's grandmother use the web in the same as his teenage kid? (assuming he has one)

Does even the head of marketing use the computer the same as the head of IT?

These are all users, and they all have different patterns and different natures. it's like soylent green "OH, my god, Users are made of people!!!" *

And people are messy and complicated and difficult. Even your boss is made of people. It woudl e nice if you had veto power, and in some companies you can get it. In some companies you may have to rely on the power of persuation. Send your boss this article; perhaps it may help.

*sorry matt stole your line

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