Navigation Design

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One of the most important features of consideration for your website will be what the user sees, and how they get around. The design of how the user gets around should be consistent across all of your web pages, and intuitive. I work for a company that has some really incredible navigation across their website, however, it is inconsistent and very non-intuitive. They provide a “tools drop down” and then include some of the most common tools on a page that is not linked from that drop down. While they allow you to add your own favorites link page, it’s actually easier to add your favorite links to your browser’s favorites than it is their page. If you want to find out about how to get some piece of software installed, you have to go to a “community web page” that supports that software (and you never know which one is the right one) and then spend lots of time trying to find out where the link is to get the software. 

What I’m trying to point out is the importance of intuitive and consistent navigation. At work we are a captive audience and “have to” put up with the navigation nonsense. For your business, your customer’s don’t. They’ll simply go somewhere else, and even pay more money for a comfortable and intuitive online experience. The best test of easy to use navigation is someone other than you. Just because it makes sense to you doesn’t mean it makes sense to others.

Here are a few things to consider for navigation design:

• From every page have a consistently located link to your contact page.
• From every page have a consistently located link to your terms and conditions page.
• From every page have a consistently located link to your shopping cart pages (View Cart & Checkout).
• When possible, use simple textual links that don’t require long download times. (a single simple rollover button can add 10 seconds to a dialup user’s download time).
• Use JAVA navigation sparingly as it requires the user’s browser support, and adds to download time.
• Consistently locate your navigation on every page. If using left-hand navigation, do the same for every page. If right-hand, top, or combinations, BE CONSISTENT!
• If you have an important link that you want customers to find easily and your site is large and complex, consider placing the link in multiple
• If you have a single product or service, you don’t need lots of bells and whistles. Keep it Simple!
• If you have a design in mind for navigation, have several people look at it from various ranges of internet experience (novice to expert) and make sure that it’s simple enough for the novice, yet not too stupid for the expert.