Web Site Navigation Design

Effective navigation is a frequently overlooked aspect of web site design, yet is essential for a visitor to experience your site as efficiently as possible. Effective navigation is not determined merely by the quantity or "coolness" of clickable links.

Even with a large hierarchical web site, good navigational design should allow a visitor to find desired information with 3 to 4 links. The following navigation methods are simply tools. We address the "how and why" of good navigation in the bottom section. (WARNING: This page contains an overkill of navigation for demo purposes. Remain calm and DO NOT try this at home.) 

• Jump Links
• Frames
• Pull Down Menu
• Floating Frames
• Slide Show/Auto Tour
• Site Map
• Navigational Considerations

"Jump" Links
The listings above illustrate jump links, useful for navigating various sections within the same page. These are primarily used on long scrolling pages containing related content. A Back To Top button or graphic comes in handy.


Frames
You are viewing the lower frame of a two (2) frames structured web site. Among other uses, Frames allows having fixed navigation buttons (such as those above) that update the information in a seperate window (such as this lower window). Having fixed navigation buttons provide a consistent structure and can confirm the top level sections of the web site. Back To Index


Pull-Down Menus
Pull-down menus offer the look and feel of desktop applications and are accomplished with Javascript programming. Pull-down menus are compact by being viewable only if selected. The distinctive look of the pull-down menu can differentiate specialized or detailed content from the standard web site navigation. Just select the link and click Go!. (Obviously in an actual application the links would take you to a seperate page rather than performing jump links.) Back To Index

Top of Page Up to Index Additional Link Additional Link Additional Link

Floating Frames
A Floating Frame (sometimes called a "Remote Control") is an additional floating window detached from the main browser window. Floating Frames can be sized as needed and can be used to display art or graphics free from buttons or text. Conversly, the floating frame can contain navigation to control the contents of the larger window. We utilize floating frames in our Portfolio section to display thumbnail samples of our clients web pages.

Slide Show (Auto Tour)
A slide show or "auto tour" allows the user to sit back and experience a progression of pre-determined links or screens. Applications can range from presenting an art gallery to the more traditional business presentation. Since the content needs to be reasonably small to ensure predictable download time, it works very well with floating frames. Slide shows can be single run or looped. (Demo takes about 30 seconds and has a "stop" button.)

Site Map
A Site Map is typically a no-frills table of contents of the web site, providing links to all the published pages. Site maps are helpful for large sites whose visitors are somewhat familiar with the contents and just need a quick link with little explanation. Back To Index


Site Navigation Considerations (Do's and Don'ts)

Determining the layout and overall navigation of a web site begins with a No.2 pencil and consultation with the web developer. The following are just a few major points of consideration:

• Be efficient and minimize the number of top level catagories. This clarifies the sites hierarchial structure.
• The optimum organization of your web site might not correspond with your current business or organizational structure.
• Links and catagories should not be vague or compete with each other.
• Since bookmarks and search engines bring visitors from all directions, every page should offer a link to the "Home" page. This is especially recommended when using Frames.
• Make sure links offered within text bodies directly compliments or expands on the current information. Offer related links at a point near the end of important information. Linking to everywhere from everywhere requires too many assumptions to be practical.
• Lastly, confidence in predicting a useful link is more important to a visitor than the shear number of available links. Resist linking for the sake of linking.

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