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Navigation: More than Common Sense

This presentation provides an overview of the role of Information Architects (IAs) in designing navigation systems that meet users' needs and behaviors. The focus is on understanding users' seeking behaviors and experience levels, and designing navigation systems that effectively communicate and guide users. The presentation covers different types of navigation systems, including global, local, contextual, and supplemental systems, and provides examples and best practices for each. Advanced navigation techniques, such as personalization and customization, are also discussed. The importance of user testing and continuous improvement is emphasized.

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Navigation: More than Common Sense

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  1. Navigation: More than Common Sense Valerie Gomez de la Torre Information Architecture & Design I INF 384C October 26, 2004

  2. Overview of presentation • IA’s , “Common Sense” & Velma • Users have questions • Types of navigation systems & menus

  3. IAs ,“Common Sense” & Velma • Role of IAs • User advocate • Focus on users’ needs, goals and behaviors when designing a navigation system • Focus on the differences between users • seeking behaviors • experience levels • “Design is not decoration, it is communication”Wodtke, 2003, p.204

  4. Users want to know: • Where am I? • Where are the things I am looking for? • How do I get to what I am looking for? Wodtke, 2003, p.34

  5. Well placed logos and up-front value propositions Obvious placement of navigation systems 1. Where am I?

  6. 2. Where are the things I am looking for? • Global navigation systems • Local navigation systems • Contextual navigation systems • Supplemental navigation systems

  7. Global navigation systems • Most commonly located on the top of all pages of a web site • links to important content, major categories, and search tools. • Also can be located on the bottom of page • less commonly accessed areas linking to privacy policy, contact information, etc.

  8. Global navigation systems Tab Menu Horizontal Menu Bottom Menu

  9. Local navigation systems • Local navigation systems complement the global system by allowing users to explore the immediate area and its list of available categories • User behaviors • Pogosticking • Crabwalking Rosenfeld & Morville, 2002, p.114

  10. Local navigation systems Cascading Menu Sidebar Fly-out Menu Drop-down Menu

  11. Contextual navigation systems • Embedded or ‘in line’ hypertext links • Associative links

  12. Supplemental navigation systems • Search • Sitemaps • Indexes • Guides • Breadcrumbs • Pagination

  13. Supplemental navigation examples Search Site Map Pagination Site Index

  14. Supplemental system examples • Breadcrumbs • Location • Path • Attribute

  15. 3. How do I get to what I am looking for? • Links should look ‘clickable’ • Transference -“expectations about an interface’s behavior based on their previous experience with other interfaces”(Withrow) • Labeled with clear expectations of what lies beneath • Visual perception • group links to gain meaning through context • ‘The Gestalt rule of proximity indicates that items closet together are perceived as being related/associated.” (Withrow)

  16. Advanced navigation • Personalization • website remember user’s name, credit card info, address, etc. • attempt to guess as to what users want • Customization • the user tells the site what she wants • local weather, scores for favorite teams, etc. Rosenfeld & Morville, 2002, p. 127

  17. Conclusion • When planning and designing a navigation system, we can’t always anticipate all the paths users will take.

  18. learn more

  19. Conclusion • When planning and designing a navigation system we can’t always anticipate all the paths users will take. • But with user testing, we can come close! • testing is essential both before designing a navigation system and often once the website is launched to improve on it

  20. Resources • Bernard, Michael, and Chris Hamblin. Software Usablity Reseach Lab. 1 May2003. 20 Oct. 2004 http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/Default.htm • Garrett, Jesse James. Digital Web Magazine. 17 Dec. 2002. Adaptive Path.18 Oct. 2004 http://www.digital-web.com • Instone, Keith E. "Location, path and attribute breadcrumbs." (n.d.).16 Oct. 2004 http://www.user-experience.org • Krug, Steve. (2000). Don't make me think. 1st ed. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders • Merholz, Peter. Peterme.com. 12 May 2003. 05 Oct. 2004<http://www.peterme.com>. • Nielsen, Jakob. (2000). Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity. 1st ed. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders • Rosenfeld, L., & Morville, P. (2002). Information architecture for the World Wide Web. 2nd ed. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly • van Duyne, D. K., Landay, J. A., & Hong, J. I. (2003). The design of sites: Patterns, principles, and processes for crafting a customer-centered Web experience. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley. • Withrow, Jason. Boxes and Arrows . 11 Aug. 2003. 17 Oct. 2004http://www.boxesandarrows.com • Wodtke, Christina. (2003). Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web. ed. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders

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