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Navigation Checklist
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. The checklist below is merely a starting point to help put you in the mind of your user.Navigation Checklist ___ Site navigation clearly tells visitors where they are,where they've been and where they can go next ___ All pages have a consistent look and feel ___ Navigation elements are consistent - same order, wording, typeface, color and location on each page ___ Site ID is on every page and doubles as a link back to Home page ___ Each page has a Home page link ___ Logout link appears in the same location on each page ___ Navigational elements are text, not graphics ___ There are links to all main sections and subsections of website ___ Links are obvious and stand out from rest of text ___ Only links are underlined ___ Bolding or italics is used to emphasize text, not underlines ___ All links have been tested and work ___ Used links change color ___ Links open in the same window, not a new window or tab ___ Link text matches the title of the destination page ___ Each page has a name that's prominent and matches what was clicked ___ "You are here" indicator is used to highlight current location ___ Breadcrumbs are used to show path back to Home page ___ There is a link to a Contact Us page ___ There is a link to an About Us page ___ Website has a text-based site map to help visitors and spiders ___ Website has a functional search box if necessary Test your site with outside users. Ask them to find the following on one of your website's inner pages:
Please post in the forum or email us with additional points you would like to see added to the list ARTICLE DATE: 2008-11-29 REVISED DATE: Share this Article as a Tweet on Twitter
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