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Navigation
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Finding your website is one thing, but knowing what to do
once you get there is quite another. In this article we
will discuss the importance of website navigation and how it
can make or break your site.
The aim of a web site's navigation is simply to allow users
to get to the content they require. For sites that have a
large number of sections and web pages (and information
sites can be one of these) the navigation plan has to be
properly researched and designed. You have to consider
different types of visitors and simulate the most common
steps they would take to find what they want on your site
and the navigation plan has to optimize this movement. For
example the steps required from searching a catalog of
items, selecting from the catalog, adding them to a shopping
cart, proceeding to check out, to entering the payment
particulars is a specific sequence that should be
facilitated by the navigation system. If the sequence is
haphazard, it could lead to frustration or the user may miss
an important step and you would have an aborted sale.
To find their way about, users need to know two things:
* Where they are now
* How to go elsewhere
Navigation does not exist in isolation; good site
organization is a prerequisite for a coherent navigation
system.
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Objectives of a Navigation System
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Navigation can be broken into two primary types, Location
Indicators and Navigation Controls
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Location Indicators
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Location indicators let users know where they are in the
site at the moment. It needs to be borne in mind that users
coming from outside your site can enter at any page, not
necessarily on a 'main' page. They need to be able to
orientate themselves.
Equally it is important that users navigating around your
site have a clear idea of where they are both in absolute
terms and in relation to other content.
Location information should appear on every page of the
site, in the same place and in the same style. Location
indicators should tell the user precisely where they are and
this should be clear even to a user who has entered the site
at an internal page. The location indicator should be
identifiable for what it is and make sense in the context of
other navigation.
In simple sites a page banner - text or graphic - naming the
page will be sufficient. For this to work the page name
should also appear in the main navigation so that it is
relevant within the overall structure of the site.
Color can be used. For example a different color background,
contrast color or sidebar in each part of the site. To be
really effective the color change should be reflected in the
navigation.
Using ‘breadcrumbs’ on every page is a good idea.
Breadcrumbs show you a series of hierarchical links that you
have used to go from page to page within a section. Using
breadcrumbs is like leaving a trail of the path you have
followed. The breadcrumbs appear at the top of the content
section, just below the main navigation template. Each
element in the breadcrumb is a link to that section or
subsection. This helps in avoiding a series of back buttons
allowing the user to directly go back to the main section
page or another sub section. More importantly, it always
shows the context of the page that is being viewed and how
it belongs to a section or sub-section.
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Navigation Controls
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Navigation controls are the main navigation links; they
allow users to move around the site. Whether they comprise
images or text they should be predictably located in the
same place, and with the same appearance, on each page.
These have several purposes
* To allow users to move about within the site
* To tell users what information is available at the link
* To work with location indicators to orientate users
A good navigation control:
* Is clear: it looks like navigation
* Leads to obvious content - users have a good idea what
they will find if they click
* Is consistent with other navigation controls
* Is predictable in its style and location on the page
There is no mystery to usability. It simply involves
creating a site, which is accessible to the majority of
people, is easy to use and get around and delivers on its
promises. You can have a site that meets the most important
standards of usability by planning it well and always
keeping the end user in mind. Remember that web sites should
not be designed for their owners - they should be designed
for their users.
Problems with usability could be said to stem from just two
sources: the site itself and the user. In fact the site is
always at fault; if a user, however experienced or
inexperienced, has problems navigating, getting information
or understanding the site.
While websites have become far more complex, web users have
become less rather than more experienced as more and more
people go online. It is a mistake to think that the majority
of users will be web or even computer savvy and will
understand subtle clues about content. Most will not.
So take these words of advice and review/plan your
navigation links accordingly. Just remember - if the
customer gets lost, so will your sale.
Warmly,
Jeffrey Meier
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