Problem Formulation

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a navigation type, when considering different types of websites? Should there be a different approach towards navigation within Rich Internet Applications and if so, which?

Overview

The book “Designing Web Navigation”, published by O’Reilly in 2007 defines Web Navigation as the theory and practice of how people move from page to page on the web while also being a process of goal-directed seeking and locating hyperlinked information.

It consists of all the elements that provide users access to pages while helping them orientate through the website they are interacting with.

Navigation can be classified in three main categories, based on their function inside a website: structural, associative and utility.

Structural Navigation

This type of navigation follows the structure of a website, allowing users to easily navigate through different hierarchical pages of a website. Based on the level of hierarchy, the structural navigation is further divided into main navigation and local navigation.

The main navigation has to be a persistent navigation mechanism across the website, at the same time allowing users to get to the other sections of the website in an efficient way. Local navigation is used to access lower levels in a structure, being confined to a certain category or section of a website. However, it is common for a local navigation to be accessible from another local navigation. Providing the user with such a possibility has the risk of over-clustering the interface of the website and disorients the user, thus achieving the exact opposite of the desired effect.

Associative Navigation

It includes those links that share a connection with the current displayed information. Its standardized subtypes are mostly based on the location of the navigation links relative to the content but are not constrained by this: contextual navigation, quick links and footer navigation.

Contextual navigation is either embedded in the text itself or is present at the end or the side of the content, connecting the meaning of the hyperlinked text with the hyperlinked reference. As presented in the “Designing Web Navigation” book, printed by O’Reilly, Quick Links “provide access to important content or areas of the site that may not be present in the global navigation”. As for the Footer Navigation, it usually includes either functional links such as printing the respective page, sending the link via e-mail, etc. or may give the user access to information which should be easy to obtain yet not important enough to be part of the structural navigation, such as the Terms and Conditions of the website, Copyright Information, etc.

Utility Navigation

Elements belonging to this type of navigation are considered to connect the visitor of the website to the tools and features that assist them and/or enhance their experience. As opposed to the functional navigational elements prior presented, the functional elements present in the Utility Navigation have a higher impact. The elements present in the Utility Navigation depend on the type of website which they belong to but a rough classification would include: Language and Country Selectors, Toolboxes, Extra-site Navigation, etc.

Discussion

No matter of the genre (type) of a website, a good navigation design is required to give the visitor an intuitive and flawless movement and actions throughout the website.

The following website types are based on a classification presented in the “Designing Web Navigation” book, previously mentioned.

Knowing that visitors can quickly recognize the intent of the website based on existing knowledge and expectations, we can state there are some characteristics which are common for different types (genres) of sites. As the particularities for the Structural Navigation are the same, independent on the type of the website, the following presented characteristics are mostly relevant to the associative navigation and the utility navigation.

Information Sites

• Having diverse target groups, it is important that the navigation gives a good overview of the website, while following common design practices and navigational patterns, reducing the learning curve.
• Associative navigation linking to a different type of media than the expected one is expected to be suggested to the visitor. (For example, text-embedded linking to a PDF file is expected to be suggested by displaying the PDF icon next to the hyperlink)
• Functional navigation that invites users to different actions relevant to the content are expected not to impair the visitor in retrieving the desired information while also giving him fast access to them. A bad-practice example would be the over-cluttering of websites with Social Media sharing links.

E-commerce Sites

• E-commerce is all about selling products. Therefore, visitors are expecting to meet a common navigation practice and not be surprised by it. Failing in doing so will not only confuse the visitor, withdrawing him from receiving relevant product information but could also persuade him into not trusting the website as unfamiliarity often equals with trust.
• Associative links should be present where relevant and persuade users to visit more of the website and implicitly ordering more products. A common practice is using a “Related Products” or “Those who bought this product also bought…” type of box.

Corporate Intranets

• Efficiency is the keyword of the corporate intranet navigation. Having a hard time finding the desired information and functionalities could cause high expenses to the company since time would be used in a non-efficient manner.
• It is advisable to use a clear navigation and put emphasis on the utility navigation as well as on the functional navigation.
• It is also preferable to avoid embedded links. The users could have difficulties searching for the appropriate link in a large text cluster.

Community Sites

• Being a place for people with similar interests to share ideas and discuss topics, the navigation for community sites should enhance and encourage these activities. As an example, giving contextual links to similar discussed topics might be a good idea.
• Utility navigation is critical since users need to be aware of the effect and location of their actions, such as submitting a new topic in a forum.

Entertainment Sites

• As there is a large diversity of entertainment sites existing on the internet and the way they entertain their visitors, experimentation with navigation is commonly accepted. However, differentiation between the main navigation and the other types of navigation must be carefully thought of.

Learning Sites

• Navigation on the learning sites should be a combination between the navigation of the information websites and the navigation of the corporate intranets. Therefore, it is safe to say it should be clear and simple, leaving no room for errors as any flaw in the navigation could cost its visitors during a test. Not following a common navigation design pattern could cause the test-takers to submit an answer or a paper without them realizing it.

Identity Sites

• A company’s website has the purpose to support and boost the image and of the company and its brand. Being a part of the website, the navigation has the same effect on the company and its image. Thus, in order to inspire honesty and respect, the navigation has to be as clear and as straight-forward as possible, not leaving room for interpretations.
• Depending on the size of the company and its profile, the navigation has to give easy access to the most important and desired areas of the website. For example: press releases, contact information, etc.

Rich Internet Applications

• Unlike the website navigation, Rich Internet Applications navigation does not necessarily take the user from one page to another one but usually provide the user access inside the application itself.
• Being different in concept than the ordinary type of websites, Rich Internet Applications (commonly referred to as R.I.A.) make use of different and diverse navigation manners.
• Common functionalities are expressed using a common set of unwritten, yet established, rules.
• It is worth mentioning that navigation through Rich Internet Applications imply a faster (usually instant) feedback.

Conclusions

Navigation Design Patterns have to be kept. Experimentation is advised to be kept to a minimum.

Independent on the type of website we build, it is important to orientate the user into fulfilling both his needs and ours.

References

• Designing Web Navigation, James Kalbach – published by O’Reilly Media, 2007
• Wikipedia
• Website Structural Navigation – Noah Lazar, Michael Eisenbrey – University of Maryland, Department of Computer Science, 2000 http://otal.umd.edu/SHORE2000/webnav/index.html

So, now that I am confident that you guys understood what life is like (fuck, if that doesn’t help you, just make a comparison between this picture and this other picture), you can read the other bla bla that I am going to post around here like:

• I’ll be in Romania between the 28th of January and the 13th of May, doing my internship at an awesome company (I might try to make a trip for a Hypocrisy concert in either Vienna or Sofia)
• Advanced Photoshop Techniques that you may not be aware of
• Thousands of Photoshop Brush Collections
• Got a 10 at the 3rd semester project exam and I’m waiting for the 3rd semester subject exam (it’s either I get a 2 or a 12, depending on which subject I draw from the hat)
• I miss my girl.
• I’m just waiting for things to go on their usual downward path. I literally know that I am at the peak of the quality of my life so that’s why I ain’t so happy about it. I am usually an optimistic dude but you have to know where you stand and not get over excited.

And to my few readers: I’m sorry for the lack of posts in the recent time. Meh, there’s no particular reason for that: I still care about the 2 of you, it’s just that I realized that this blog doesn’t help me improve my personal life nor my professional life and I assigned it a smaller number in the huge queue of my priority list.

Out of 214 computers with viruses, each of which is infected with
at least one of Magistr, Badtrans and Hybrid, 79 have Magistr,
111 Badtrans, and 82 Hybrid. 16 have Magistr and Badtrans,
29 Badtrans and Hybrid, and 22 have Magistr and Hybrid.
(i) How many have all three viruses?
(ii) How many have exactly two?
(iii) How many have just one of these viruses?

I guess I am willing to give a prize for any correct solving.

On the other hand, we’re going to some kind of a party tonight (I’m not putting any make-up on) called Balkan Express 2. I have o idea what it’s gonna be about but at least I know I will have fun since I will be there with a couple of my friends and neighbors.

On the other hand (I am the only human in the world with 3 hands, btw), I really need to make up my mind about a layout for my portfolio. Perhaps I’ll post some screenshots and I’ll let you guys choose? Meh, I’ll think about it.

Thanks!

So, although I am slightly nervous about the exam we are going to have tomorrow, I am pretty confident that it’s going to be alright What really fucked me up over the past days was a huge toothache. I knew how high the prices of the dentist in Denmark are but I just had to go there to relief the pain. I went to “Frost&Holtet” dentist clinic downtown since it was recommended by my best friend and it was very nice. Meh, I mean, as nice as a dentist can be. I really hated that they overused the injections and at some point I had to tell them that I am used with the stone-age-treatment: full pain. Once again, the price was pretty high but you guys know how toothaches are!

Alright, so I am 1 day away from the final year exam and 9 days away from coming back home (8 days judging by the fact that I will leave from my place on the evening of the 1st of july). Today is the longest day in the year and although I would love to go to the beach to see the bonfires, I would rather study a little bit more for the exam tomorrow. Meh, Denmark changed me.. Me, studying!

And since I am a God when it comes to bragging: a website I have designed 3 years ago has a google pr of 6 now