Navigation: Purpose and Design
Rick Henkin
The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective.
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What's the purpose of
navigation?
At its most basic, the purpose of navigation on a website is simple. It
shows users:
- Where they are
- Where they've been
- Where they can go
Designed correctly, it can also show users:
- What the site contains
- How to use the site
- How to search
- What their options are
- What the major sections of the site are
- What's important to the site owner
- What the site owner thinks is important to the user
The structure of your navigation does two other things as well:
- It gives the user trust and confidence in you and your
website
- It helps lead them down the conversion path from visitor to
customer
What's the difference
between navigating a store and navigating a website?
Because a store is physical, you have a pretty good sense of direction.
You know where the front door is, signs tell you what's on each aisle
and you know which aisles you've been down.. You have an idea of the
store's size. You can walk the entire store. You can ask an employee
for help. And even though you may not have walked the entire store, you
probably have a good idea of its size and whether or not you've seen
everything. Also, you've invested real time and effort to arrive there.
On a website you don't have any sense of direction, especially if you
entered through a page other than the home page. Without well-designed
navigation, you don't know where you are, where you've been or where
you can go. You don't have any idea how large the site is and if you
get lost, there's no one to ask for help. On the positive side, you've
probably invested very little time or effort to arrive at the website.
The real fact of the matter is that if the navigation on your website
isn't simple, self-explanatory, and consistent, your visitor is gone.
No one is going to take the time to call you or email you. They won't
spend the time to figure out your navigation system when it's easier to
go to your competitor's website to find the information they want.
What are the common
elements of navigation?
- Site ID- usually located in the upper left corner of the
webpage
- Sections- links to the main categories of the site
- Subsections- links to the categories of the sections
- Utilities- links to elements other than content such as
"About Us", "Contact Us", "FAQ", "Terms and Conditions", Help", etc.
- Home- a lnk back to the homepage. The Site ID sometimes
doubles as a link back to the homepage
- Search function- usually a box where the user can type in a
term or phrase
- "You are here" indicator
How should I design my
navigation?
Design it from your user's perspective. If you're not sure, test.
Actually, you should test even if you think you are sure, you might be
surprised. Things to consider:
- The most important rule is to be consistent. Keep your main
or global navigation elements in the same order, with the same name,
same typeface, same color and same location on each page.
Changing the location or name of these elements is very confusing to
your visitor. The only exceptions would be the "Home" link (which is
unnecessary on the website's homepage), and the color, which you want
to change to if you're using tabs and it represents the active tab
- Think of your navigation system as a visible hierarchy with
the most important elements at the top. They should also be the most
prominent
- Links that are clickable should be obvious. Don't underline
anything that isn't a link. If you need to emphasize a word or phrase,
use bold or italics
- Used links should be a different color. The best choice is
a lighter shade of the original link color or at least a lighter
contrasting color. Used links let the user know where he's already
been, so his time isn't wasted revisiting the same page
- Every page should have a name. That name should be
prominent, reference the content directly below it and match what was
clicked on. You establish trust with your visitor by making sure that
the link and the page name match
- Use a "You are here" indicator. This lets your visitors
know exactly where they are in relation to your entire website.
Highlight their current location in your navigation bar, list or menu.
Use a different color, a bold font, an arrow, or whatever will stand
out
- Breadcrumbs are different from "You are here" indicators
although they sometimes include those 3 words. They show visitors the
path back to the Home page from where they've landed
- Some people prefer to search rather than browse. Include a
site search box unless your website is very small and very well
organized. Make it simple- just a box, a button and the word
"Search." Place it where users expect to find it, usually at
the top right of the page and place it on every page. Make your box at
least 30 characters wide. Studies have shown that this width will cover
about 90% of most search terms
Conclusion
The purpose of navigation and the way it's designed on your website are
two sides of the same coin. Your navigation scheme won't fulfill its
purpose if it's not designed from the user's perspective.
Watch the video for more
information...
ARTICLE DATE: 2008-11-29
REVISED DATE:
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