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dconstruct07 
Last week I attended d.Construct, a web conference focusing on design and usability. This is unlike the events I normally attend, which are pure developer events; code heavy, lots of demos, etc. d.Construct is more designer oriented, with design and experience at the forefront. Developers are, on the whole, not great designers; some have the what it takes, but mostly we don't. It's the science versus art thing, where no matter how much we try, the artistic flair just isn't present. I am, rather begrudgingly, resigned to that fate and so hold a cross between awe, jealousy and hatred for those who have the creative ability.
As a developer, I think it's my duty to understand the designer, to learn how they do what they do, why they make certain decisions and to see how my interaction with them can be better. I'll admit to being fascinated by design, so this isn't an onerous task.
There was only one talk that didn't excite me, but all of the rest were excellent. I was particularly struck by the message of Tom Coates, who said that your web site is not your company, it's just a part of it. With the current trend of increasingly complex and varied web applications, it's easy to forget that your company has a core product or service and that the web site is just a part of that. Use the web site to enhance your company and to ease customer interaction, but don't place all of your effort into it. Make it easy to use, to enhance the customer experience.
d.Construct is an excellent conference and I'll certainly be attending next year. I recommend you do too.