The best Web sites are better than Reality.
Good information architecture makes users less alienated and suppressed by technology. It simultaneously increases human satisfaction and your company's profits. Very few jobs allow you to do both at the same time, so enjoy.
Designers are not users.
Compared to 1999...we cannot quite declare victory, but we can declare progress.
...pay attention to what users do, not what they say.
Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action.