Efforts to make websites more dynamic, in line with the concept of Web 2.0, have led to a neglect of making them user-friendly, according to Jakob Nielson.
Web 2.0 refers to second-generation web-based communities which facilitate collaboration and sharing between users.
The web usability guru and founder of useit.com said that sites which were filled with personalisation tools could be compared to those "glossy but useless" sites which came about during the dotcom boom.
He called for companies to consider ease of use, effective search tools and jargon-free text from the initial stages of creating their sites and described Web 2.0 as the "latest fashion" in website design.
Mr Nielsen said: "They should get the basics right first. Sadly most websites do not have those primary things right," reports the BBC.
He continued: "Most people just want to get in, get it and get out. For them the web is not a goal in itself. It is a tool."
