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I was sent a link to a website yesterday (ASP.NET) and asked to write a report on it - design, usability, etc.

It may just be me but the last few ASP.NET sites I have audited (especially those created in India) seem to be a little heavy on features at the expense of user experience.

There is no doubt that the cleverer the web gets, the easier becomes to create web pages and the more options HTML and CSS offer, there will be the temptation to go over the top but I fail to understand the purpose.

Drop down navigation, Flash for Flashes sake, no obvious structure, unnecessary Javascript and poor content simply doesn’t flick my switch and offer me anything.

When marketing or technical teams are devising these features (that additonally slow down the site) I wonder if they think about the user? I also wonder if they think about the repeat visitors who may just want to get in and get out of the site.

In such a competitive environment online, surely it’s time to go back to basics and ONLY add the features if they add value to the experience - for the user.