Having spent the last three years enduring human-computer interaction modules at university, you would have thought I might have learned something. It didn't help that each year was a repetition of the last, but I stick by what I said in the at the start of the second year - it's all about the user.
And to that end, I chuck out everything else. Dealing with the user is generally about simplicity and elegance. The vast majority of HCI concepts are geared towards complex software engineering solutions.
In redesigning the Internetware homepage, we've cut down on everything. We picked the main pieces of information we wanted to get across and presented them cleanly and clearly. It's that simple. The difference is amazing, and you'll be able to see for yourself in a few weeks.
Just think about clarity, and you'll be fine. Ignore everything else.