- Main navigation that exists on every page of the site, in the same place
- Section navigation that is placed in a consistent place across sections
- Links that unique identifiers and go to the same page on every occurrence
When using the SharePoint model, it is very easy to break these conventions as links go from site to site and site collection to site collection. As we continue to build sites in SharePoint, we need to look at all navigation elements and ask ourselves, “Can our users find what they are looking for and do they know where they are?” This seems like an obvious question. Taking a look at many SharePoint implementations suggests that this is not always considered or is not always a primary goal.
To illustrate the effectiveness of a persistent navigation model, an example of mall navigation comes to mind. After the recent holiday season, I found myself in more shopping malls than normal and made use of mall map directories as a way of finding what I was looking for and to determine where I was. At strategic points in the mall, kiosk navigation is place to help new shoppers find the retailers they are looking for by the name of the store or by the primary merchandise they offer. Typically they look like this example:
An aerial view that is keyed with colors and numbers is a common convention that most mall visitors are used to, or have seen and used before. This generally is referred to, in UX terms, as an affordance (sure to be the subject of a lengthy post in the future). The red start is placed as a “You Are Here” indicator. As I move around the mall, the kiosks can be found at regular intersections helping me along the way and keeping me from making too many wrong turns.
Great. I find my retailer and make my purchase. Transaction finished.
But what would a more complex mall look like, especially if the map kiosks changed as I went through the mall? Similar to click menu links and having the same menu change on a regular basis, I may begin to lose perspective on where I am exactly located within the space. Looking at the map above, I clearly see where I am in the context of the mall, by the entrance on one end of the space. What if the next map I found looked a bit like this:
OK, hold on there. What is this? I remember that the red star indicated where I was so I guess I am on the third level. I do not know what I am near but I do know that there are ways to get to other levels from here. Yes, it may be a bit of an absurd example, but ask yourself how many times you have been clicking links on a web site only to find the entire page and navigation menu changes radically? I suspect more often than you’d like.
Take it a step further and you may find another kiosk that could look like this:
Yes I know, now this has gone too far. The point is that all three of these images show you where you are within the context of a space. Is one better than the others? I think that can be argued but the point is that a uniform system of navigation throughout the entire space will almost always help your shoppers, or users, find what they are looking for. So what are you supposed to do? Here are a few pointers to help you make your current or next web site easier to navigate:
- Determine the way your audience will think about the information you are presenting. Different groups will think about information or content differently than others. By understanding the way your users think, you can properly name sections and pages to make them the easiest to find.
- Establish a pattern of navigation early on in the overall experience and stick to it. As users work their way through your site, they will quickly learn how you navigation works if it follows the same pattern on every page. This can make navigation that is not necessarily the easiest to use at first become more understandable for your audience.
- Keep key anchors to areas persistent across all pages. People using your site can get lost as they click through. A lot of users look for links before they read everything and may lose the context they are viewing content in. Make sure to always present clear getaway points to help users either get back out of a place they didn’t want to go to or at least, allow them to quickly jump to another key content area.
- Place the navigation in the same place on each page. This is very critical in helping your audience know what the navigation is and what the content is. As they click through pages, users will be more likely to focus on the content of your pages rather than keeping the navigation in mind since they know where it is at all times.
Following these few points will greatly improve the navigation of your next site implementation. Of course there will be exceptions to these rules. Minimizing these exceptions will definitely reduce the impact on the user experience and help to make your site feel more usable, and ultimately more successful, in delivering your content.
