The Company Website Crash Course

How To Design Intuitive Navigation

Bad navigational systems kill Websites. This information will help you avoid some of the more common navigational mistakes made by many small to medium sized businesses.

What causes bad navigation?

Many small business Websites actually do more harm than good. When a user comes away from your Website feeling frustrated, it reflects directly on your business. Bad navigational style is the number one cause of such online aggravation, and it typically has two key effects upon your site's visitors:

• They leave before having explored all the information you offer that's relevant to them
• They get frustrated while trying to explore the site, and simply leave

The first problem has a whole variety of common causes including Flash intros, Splash pages and misleading information. This is most definitely a topic worthy of discussion, but if I start down that path, I may never come back!

The second problem is an all-too-common occurrence on small to medium-sized company Websites, particularly those of the 'home grown' variety. There's usually not a single cause, but rather a combination of common mistakes and pitfalls, to which user frustration can be attributed. The result, inevitably, is a well-intentioned Website that unfortunately turns out to be a miserable experience for all concerned.

Bad navigation can be caused by:

• Overly complicated or gimmicky menu systems
• Inconsistent or unusual placement or style of links
• The user not being able to find the links at all
• Inconsistent page design or layout
• Unclear or misleading link text
• Graphics-only links

Notice that inconsistency is a common theme here.

So what makes good navigation?

Ever heard the phrase "dare to be different"? Well, as far as designing Website navigation is concerned: forget it. Daring to be different with your navigation can cause the death of your Website just as quickly as can sub-standard content or 5 minute Flash introductions.

The key to intuitive navigation is consistency. Take a look at any large commercial Website and you'll find very similar elements in very similar places. Why? Because that's what users expect. Here are a few guidelines to bear in mind when considering your site's navigation:

1. Place major section/category links horizontally, near the top of every page.
Most sites will place these links beneath the logo in the top left corner. If this doesn't immediately make sense, think about how you read a page of text: from top left to bottom right. Right? Also, limit your major catagories to a maximum of about eight. Give them too many choices, and your users won't make a choice at all.

2. Put section-specific links in a clearly marked column along the left-hand edge.
Again, this is where users will expect to find such links. Remember, the easier your site is to use, the better the user experience, and the better the impression they'll have of your site. This doesn't mean you should throw style out the window of course, but, like many things in life, it's a matter of balance and priority.

An example of section-specific links for the obligatory About Us section might look like this:

• About Us
• Who We Are
• Company Profile
• Mission Statement

3. Use contextual links in your body text.
Wherever appropriate, use contextual links to lead your users to related information. And don't be afraid to link to outside content: contextual links to outside sources add value to your own information, and well chosen links lend validity to your authority on a given subject.

If your information is of interest to your visitor he'll come back, and if he doesn't, then you never had him anyway.

4. Provide a search box for your visitors.
All users are different, and some will undoubtably prefer to find the information they seek via a search box rather than your neatly placed, intuitive text links.

A search box is an essential feature of any Website, and it's extremely easy to set up. You can find an excellent third party solution here.

5. Use text links wherever possible.
Not all the visitors to your site will be human (cue ominous music). Many will be search engine robots. Search engines and graphical links don't mix well, so if you can't avoid using graphical links, then provide text alternatives at the bottom of the page.

6. Provide a site map.
Sounds kind of obvious, huh? However, most small to medium sized sites don't offer a site map, and this is a crying shame. They're very easy to make, don't have to be particularly pretty to be functional, and will aid both your human and non-human visitors. A good place to put a link to your site map is in the page 'footer' near the copyright notice.

A small disclaimer

If you've questioned any of the above statements, then good: if we don't constantly question what we do and why we do it, we'll never change anything.

The fact is that this article is not aimed at those developing artistic, non-commercial Websites. It's aimed at small to medium sized businesses designing sites that need to be accessible to a wide variety of users -- and this is most certainly not an in-depth discussion of this topic. Common sense dictates that we should base our navigation on what users expect, making it as simple for your dear old granny, or your key customers, as it is for you or I.

If your artistic flair has been a little blunted by my rather strictly worded guidelines, then don't be to disheartened, style is most definitely not dead! With a little thought and planning you can have both a great looking, and superbly functional Website. Web design has always been about compromise, and those that learn to blend artistic considerations with practical restrictions will find that the restrictions themselves will breed creativity.