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| GETTING
STARTED > NAVIGATION |
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| The
Aim of
a website'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. |
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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.
Objectives
of a Navigation System : Navigation
can be broken into two primary types: Location Indicators
and Navigation Controls.
Location
Indicators
: Location
indicators let users know where they are in the site at the
moment. You need to keep 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 quickly.
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
: 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 websites 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 visitor (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 experienced because more and more new people go
online every day. It is a mistake to think that the majority
of users will be web or even computer save and will understand
subtle clues about content. Many won’t, so make your
site as easy to use as possible.
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