Going Back to Basics

July 15, 2004

Sometimes it’s great to see Web sites go out of their way to make themselves appealing with sexy graphics and nifty multi-media. Yes, we are visual creatures and perhaps no sense is as much under assault than our visual sense on a daily basis.

However, as the novelty wears off, it’s refreshing to see that some sites go for simplicity and clarity. Google and Ebay have relatively simple and clean sites and perhaps that has contributed even more to their popularity.

But having a simple and clean site may no longer be just an option, it may very well be a necessity. I’m not talking about improved download speeds, although that’s a good side-benefit. I’m talking about a drastic shift in vendors’ (mainly Microsoft) and users’ stance in defending themselves against the unrelenting viruses and worms. Many of the newer and more nefarious types have been worming their way into our computers through our browsers (mainly Internet Explorer) and users have started to turn off many of their browsers’ options and features in order to save themselves from the onslaught.

Unfortunately the same features and options are what many interactive sites count on to deliver snazzy content to their readers. When users turn off these options, the souped up Web sites will look bland and unrefined at best. At worst, they may appear broken and unavailable. Microsoft’s newest service pack for Windows XP will reportedly disable many of these options by default.

It’s hard to fathom, but the virus and worm writers may unwittingly force Web sites to get less cluttered and deliver their content in a simple and clear format. It’s not what the hackers intended, but it may not be a bad consequence either.