Web Design Navigation and Architecture

To use a website effectively, web designers much ensure that end users can:

• Know where they are
• Have confidence
• Be assured they can easily get back to where they have been

Websites consist of a number of pages connected by multiple hyperlinks. These hyperlinks should be defined and placed where they are easily visible. Mouseover effects not only add flavor to the links but also make sure that the user doesn’t miss them.

Such architecture is referred to as a network, which contains pathways that allow a page to be visited repeatedly from many different locations. For most design situations, structuring begins with sorting out the distinct categories of information to be included in the site.

When users first arrive on a site they will have no clue as to its size, content or organization. Users must know what regions of the site exist and a site map can help provide this. Successful navigation should be possible on the basis of information provided on each page. If a page contains a number of clicks – able regions and several sets of buttons, the user is likely to get confused. One way to overcome this is to design is such a way, to that the structure is visible to the user and she can easily navigate through the site in a few steps.

The homepage can set the tone of the whole publication and introduce users to the site structure and methods of navigation. It’s like the cover of a book, which then draws the user into the site.

The right choice of a site-opening page can depend upon:

• The nature of the site’s information
• The frequency with which the visitors revisit the site
• The frequency with which the site’s information changes

Websites like BBC, Adobe and Macromedia are large websites visited by tens of thousands of people daily and servicing many repeat end users. They contain a lot of pages, covers a wide range of topics and are update frequently.

Direct first time users to the site structure by introducing the navigation bar. Alert frequent users to recent additions. Some websites focus on introducing a firm’s range of professional services. Here the focus is on establishing new clients and not providing a random access service. Such sites have a narrative structure as visitors to the site are looking for an overview of the firm, its history and track record.

The homepages of such sites must load quickly and allow repeat visitors to skip some of the overview information. Other sites offer the latest information, and therefore need to be updated frequently.

If you are not sure if your web design is effective, why not contact a professional web design agency who will be able to help guide you through the process?