A website's structure must be the reflection of a
strategy. Navigation scenarios must be worked out in order to push users
into follow a path on the website.
However, visitors should not feel trapped and should be free to leave or change sections at any time.
Visual Path
Studies have shown that the eye of the average
Internet user generally travels over webpages in a "zigzag" pattern,
starting at the upper left-hand corner and working its way down to the
lower right-hand corner.
Structuring a Website
Structuring a website consists of building the website's overall architecture by organising the different pieces of information.
The first step is to make a list of the website's
content and group the content together by theme in order to form
sections. This is sometimes called section building.
As soon as the main sections are identified (no
more than a dozen main sections should be used), they must be organised
and divided into subsections. Most of the time, a website's structure is
like the shape of the tree, with the home page at the roots:
Standard Elements
Some elements are found on almost every website:
- The website's logo in the upper left-hand corner. Clicking on this logo leads directly to the website's home page
- A link to the home page is present on every page of the site
- Navigation elements are present on every page so that users can see where they are on the website and easily return to the main section
Elements of Navigation
Elements of navigation are tools that help visitors
to know where they are on the website, go back, and move between
sections. There are several methods for setting up navigation elements:
Breadcrumb Trail
A breadcrumb trail is a navigation tool made
up of a series of hierarchical links. A breadcrumb trail represents the
navigation path and allows users to:
- see where they are on the website
- easily return to the main sections
A breadcrumb trail includes the following:
- Links separated by the character ">", symbolising the idea of hierarchy
- The last link cannot be clicked and appears in bold. This represents the page that the visitor is on
The term "breadcrumb" refers to the Grimm fairytale
"Hansel and Gretel", which tells the story of two children lost in a
forest who drop pieces of bread behind themselves to be able to find
their way back.
The French term for this translates as "Ariadne's
string", which refers to Greek mythology. In the myth, Ariadne gives
Theseus, her love, a ball of yarn before he runs into the labyrinth to
kill the Minotaur. By unwinding it and then winding it up, Theseus is
able to get out of the labyrinth.
Tab Navigation
Tabs are useful navigation tools that help
visitors to make out the sections of a website and easily move from one
section to another. Colour codes can also be used to reinforce the
difference between sections.
Site Map
A site plan gives Internet users a global view
of a website. In addition, a "you are here" label can help internet
users to figure out where they are on a website.
Navigation Arrows
Navigation arrows (next, previous, return to chapter, return to home page) are intuitive natigation tools for the user.
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