Usability or usabilities?

Web designer/developer blogs and magazines have been very busy discussing the future of web design, web usability, web credibility lately. And how form and function interrelate or don't.

See The End of Usability Culture, Measuring Web Credibility, Knemeyer Ends Usability Culture, How does Web Credibility Relate to Web Design?, Following Function, If Form Follows Function for some recent articles.

So far, I haven't seen too much discussion about differing functions web sites can have. So I thought I'd begin a list of site functions (please help me with other categories or ways of categorizing sites) that may begin to show that usability/credibility guidelines may be too broadly drawn today. Which is one reason experienced designers feel constrained by usability guidelines that have been developed for one category then applied to all.

Website categories (a non-inclusive list)

Ecommerce, ebusiness (often use .com or .biz domains). Refers to sites whose primary function is to sell products over the Internet. Can be business to consumer or business to business, small or large, single company or multi-company catalogues. Includes adult sites and gambling sites. Includes epublishing and emarketing sites.

Entertainment sites (often use .com domain). Includes entertainment company sites, fan clubs, game sites. May overlap into ecommerce.

Portfolio/services sites for service providers (often use .com or .biz domains). Ebusiness sites that may not sell directly from the site, but provide a presence for service providers.

Search/directory sites (often use .com or .biz domains). Primary function is to aid users to find information/sites. Often funded through advertising. Includes search engines, travel reservations, etc.

Information/reference (often use .com or.org domains). Primary function is to distribute information. Can funded by advertising. Includes newspapers, magazines, wikis, reference sites, governmental sites, museums, libraries, health sites, hospitals.

Educational sites (often use .edu domain). Primary function is education . Include universities and other schools, elearning, distance learning.

Individual expression. Sites whose main function is expression of opinion. Includes blogs, individual/family sites.

Community sites/networks (often use .net or .org domains). Geography- or interest-based sites that connect people.

Organization sites (often use .org domain). Non-profit and non-governmental sites, museums.

International organization sites (often use .int or .org domains)
Includes international organizations such as EU, FAO, FICSA, ILO, INTERPOL, IOM, ITC, ITU, NATO, UN, UNDP, UNICEF, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WFP, WIPO.

So what?

Why would we think that these very different types of websites should look alike or work alike? Some usability guidelines may apply to most sites, but it is clear to me that a web designer's portfolio site has a different function than an eBay or a Google website. The form (including usability) of the site should follow the function of the site. Not some fixed idea of usability that is primarily based on one specific function: ecommerce.

For example, I find some Flash use quite acceptable for elearning, entertainment and designer portfolio sites. Accessibility guidelines indicate that people with cognitive disabilities (ADD, learning disabilities) actually retain information better from dynamic sites (and sites that mimic video-games).

Now that web standards and general usability and accessibility guidelines have been integrated into the web designer's toolkit, it is time to allow for differences in function in websites. To encourage web excellence in service to different functions sites may have. Perhaps even to develop separate usability guidelines for other website categories.

Let's stop making only round holes for all those square/star/triangular pegs.