Wiebe, E. N. (2000). Deep realities: The fit of usability in business. ACM Journal of Computer Documentation, 24 (4), 220-226.

Deep Realities: The fit of usability in business

Introduction 
Barbara Mirel has played out for us a real world drama, showing the deep realities of the politics of usability in the world of a software startup.  Mirel's story draws us in to give us the week to week struggle of usability trying to find a place in the shifting sands of power and politics within Visible Solutions.  Perhaps the role of this commentary can be to pull back and look at some of broader themes that Mirel has woven into her story.
A starting point may be to juxtapose the usability triangle of (Frokjaer, Hertzum & Hornbaek, 2000) with the world of product, process, and profit in Mirel's software startup (Figure 1).  Mirel very rightly points out that usability innovation in a software product (or any product, for that matter) is intimately intertwined with the organizational structure and the individuals which make up that organization. In looking at this interrelationship, questions arise as to what are the critical factors that influence this fit.  Mirel's article provides insight into some of them, which have been organized around the themes of: 
- textbook process versus deep reality
- group dynamics
- leadership
- the role of values