I did some searches with ACM Portal for journal and magazine articles that mention usability. The results in table below.
| Years | Articles Mentioning Usability | Total Articles | % of Articles Mention Usability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-1995 | 62 | 2273 | 2.7% |
| 1996-2000 | 377 | 5949 | 6.3% |
| 2001-2005 | 861 | 8909 | 9,7% |
| 2006-2010 | 970 | 10076 | 9,6% |
I also did a rudimentary check on how many articles mention both usability and web. Results in the table below.
| Years | Articles Mentioning Usability and Web | % of Articles That Mention Usability That Also Mention Web |
|---|---|---|
| 1991-1995 | 12 | 19% |
| 1996-2000 | 221 | 58% |
| 2001-2005 | 581 | 67% |
| 2006-2010 | 630 | 65% |
One could theorize that web has made usability research lot more prominent. Or the other way around. Or perhaps there is hidden factor in play. Or perhaps ACM Portal’s search engine gives nonsensical results.