Editor’s Note: this is the third article in a series devoted to Web site navigation systems, where we focus on what works in site navigation systems — and what makes them effective.
One of the biggest complaints I hear about Web site designs is that they’re over-complicated, over-designed, and not easy to figure out where everything goes — or leads. I’m inclined to agree.
For the most part, Web sites are predicated on the whim of the designer or the client: things get added, then more things get added, and more things get added, and then more things… well, you get the picture: so much gets added to most Web sites that they look like a messy carnival game booth — it’s hard to accurately figure out the purpose.
The best navigation is simple navigation. Simple navigation narrows the user choices to a manageable few, makes the choices more intuitive, and gives a clearer idea of your organization. It also keeps your interface uncluttered and neat, which people find more inviting and relaxing.
A basic navigation system would most likely contain the following instances (although not necessarily in this order):
- Home
- Your home page: you want to bring the visitor in, make them comfortable right off the bat, and let them snoop around. Yes, you want to let them look in the medicine cabinet and behind the shower curtain — it’s OK — and expected. A submenu here? Never!
- About
- Who you are and what you are about. Real photos (as opposed to stock images) are essential here, as they put a face on your company. This would contain a single submenu, but limited to things like Contact Us, Career Information, Stock Information and other internal operations.
- Departments
- Various departments in your company. This would contain a submenu, possibly two levels.
- News
- News about your company, perhaps press releases, etc. This would contain a submenu, possibly two levels.
- Products
- What you have to offer. This would contain a submenu, possibly two levels.
- For instance, if your company creates 5 kinds of widgets, and each of these 5 widgets have 4 styles, you might call this area “Widgets” rather than “Products,” and your first submenu lists the 5 kinds, and each kind has a submenu listing the 4 individual widget styles. Leave the pages with more detailed, granular information for the widget styles to links on their respective style pages; don’t place them in the main navigation.
Third-level submenus for highly-detailed, finely-granular information generally serve only to confuse the visitor: leave this information to your product detail pages or use a “Contact Us” page. In almost 20 years of online work, I’ve only run across one or two sites that needed a third-level submenu.
Obviously, this model will not fit every business model out there, but you get the idea: a basic, simple structure is far less confusing, and far more inviting for exploration.
A simplified system also benefits more than just the reader: Google loves a simple and clearly-structured site. It improves your rankings (thus higher search engine results), and gets you more detailed usage reports that contain more reliable data. And more reliable data allows you to make better decisions about how to enhance your presentation even more — allowing you to increase the opportunity to create conversions.
So Keep It Short & Simple (KISS) — you can’t go wrong.
Next Up: Usability Rules
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Tags: design • menu • navigation • Web site design • web site navigation
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