Affiliate Marketing Made Easy | Affiliate Marketing PLR | Affiliate Marketing Traffic | Objectives of a Navigation System

Objectives of a Navigation System

Posted on November 13, 2005
Filed Under For The Record |

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. It needs to be kept in mind that users coming from outside your site can enter at any page, not necessarily on your “landing 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. Consistency and ease of use is of the utmost importance here. 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, either text or graphic, identifying 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 hierarchica 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.

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

1. To allow users to move about within the site
2. To tell users what information is available at the link
3. To work with location indicators to orientate users

A good navigation control:

1. Is clear: it looks like navigation
2. Leads to obvious content - users have a good idea what they will find if they click
3. Is consistent with other navigation controls
4. Is predictable in its style and location on the page

There isn’t any mystery to usability. It simply means creating a site that is accessible to the majority of people, is easy to use and navigate, 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 customers. Don’t make the common mistake of “showing off” your knowledge of flash presentation, complicated Javascripts, or any other form of presentation that is not actually relevant to your site’s content. Remember that you only have about 10 seconds to capture the average surfer. Even with DSL, it takes longer than that for a flash presentation to load. The results? A lost customer…

Problems with usability could be said to stem from just two sources - the site itself and the end 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, then the site is not well designed.

While websites have become far more complex, web users have become even less experienced as more and more people come online. It is a mistake to think that the majority of users will be web or computer savvy and will understand subtle clues about content. Many will not. look at the growth statistics from the Orient and some third world countries. It is always best to remember that we are a global community. As these new surfers come online, we must accommodate them. Again, simplicity is the norm here.

Take these words of advice and review/plan your navigation links accordingly. Just remember - if the customer gets lost, so will your sale.

Share This

Comments