Navigating the Website

Navigating the Website

IT/236

May 22, 2013

Shorter’s Film: Navigating the Website

            According to Sklar, “Many websites tend to present too much information at one time. Lengthy files that require scrolling or have arrays of links and buttons can frustrate and overwhelm the user” (pg. 93).  This is one of the main issues that I want to stay away from when designing the site navigation.  The navigation of the page will be easy to use, even for the most novice computer users.  Users will always know where they are on the website and how to get where they want to go.  The goal is to have our visitors never use the search bar because they will be able navigate anywhere that they want to by using the navigational links. “If your navigation is clean and organized, it will make for an enjoyable and informative user experience for all your visitors” (“8 Website Navigation Best Practices“, 2013, para. 1)

Best Practices for Website Navigation

One practice that is best is having an alternate navigation section running on each page (see picture 1).  Some links on the webpage will be graphical and others will be text-based.  Since some of the links will be graphical, we will have an alternate attribute running on each page.  Having this option will ensure that users never get lost and always know how to find their way around the website.  This benefits the business because when people become frustrated with navigation, they will eventually leave the site.  We want to make their experience on this website as trouble-free as it can be. “Readers turn to navigation when they’re confused or lost. Don’t confuse them further by displaying inconsistent or unfamiliar navigation design” (“10 Principles of Navigation Design and Why Quality Navigation Is So Critical”, 2013, 7. Be Consistent).

Another navigation practice that will greatly enhance our site is page turners.  Though we will have navigation panes, page turners allow our users to navigate through pictures easily and in an orderly fashion.  Additionally, in the same area as the page turners, there will also be page number links. For example, if a visitor saw something that they liked on page three, but they had navigated to page seven, they can easily click on the numbered link to page three and they will go straight there. Without page turners, it would create a hassle for visitors because they would be forced to go back to the main navigation and choose another page each time that they want to move. This navigation practice benefits this website because it aides our users in moving through the website expeditiously.