Web Usability - Navigation

An integral part of designing a site with excellent usability is allowing users to find the information they need in as few clicks as possible. This requires an intuitive navigation which involves consideration of layout, labeling, and content.

The navigation of a website can either enhance or destroy its usability depending on how challenging finding information is. Anyone who has ever visited a site and found themselves going in circles (or perhaps reaching a dead end) in search for that one nugget minutes later understands just how critical web navigation is to user experience.

During class last Thursday, we were given an assignment that involved going through a list of items/pages to locate within a designated website. My group was surprised by how many clicks it took to find what we felt was important enough to be on the home page. This class activity provided a perfect example of the divide between what a web designer and user considers to be intuitive navigation.

Here are a few critical items to consider in relation to navigation:

1. Logical grouping of information
2. Appropriate and consistent labeling of pages/hyperlinks
3. A way to navigate backwards without hitting the "Back" button