Much of design is done in the name of the designer, not the user. Designers love to tell people how they’re adding value, but it really doesn’t matter what they say…it’s what the users say that counts.

Indeed. Sites that “work” are sites that fill an actual need of the user, rather than an assumed need by a marketing team, or development group.

When you get passed what a user says s/he wants, and to what they really need, you’ll find that most often, their needs are simple. Most will give up bells and whistles for something that “just works” when it is presented.