‘We Were Wrong’: An Oral History of WIRED’s Original Website

In the early days of the internet, WIRED was at the forefront of digital journalism. But looking back, many of the decisions we made for our original website were, in hindsight, wrong. In this oral history, we hear from the people who were there, on the front lines of the digital revolution.

One of the first mistakes we made was focusing too much on flashy design and not enough on usability. Our website was cluttered with graphics and animations that slowed down load times and made it difficult for users to find the content they were looking for.

Another misstep was our reliance on pop-up ads. At the time, they seemed like a necessary evil to support our journalism, but they quickly became a source of frustration for our readers.

Furthermore, we underestimated the importance of mobile responsiveness. Our website was not optimized for smaller screens, which alienated a growing number of users who were accessing the internet on their smartphones.

But perhaps our biggest mistake was failing to prioritize accessibility. Our original website was not designed with all users in mind, and we failed to provide alternative formats for people with disabilities.

As our website evolved over the years, we learned from these mistakes and made changes to improve the user experience. Today, WIRED is committed to creating a website that is fast, user-friendly, and accessible to all.

Looking back, we can now say with honesty: ‘We were wrong’. But we are grateful for the opportunity to learn from our missteps and grow as a digital publication.