Navigation systems

[StubbyD]

Serious, last for now, post #3 :)

OK, what navigation (menu) systems on what websites do you like or what ones don't you like?

Can you say why if possible? Even if it it's, it just doesn't look / feel right.

The Stubster.

[flutem3]

Serious, last for now, post #3 :)

OK, what navigation (menu) systems on what websites do you like or what ones don't you like?

Can you say why if possible? Even if it it's, it just doesn't look / feel right.

The Stubster.

It is I again. I don't like navigation menus which unfold and unfold and unfold a million times to the point I, for one, get lost. What I prefer is a straight-forward menu without anything fancy. For example, our section on church history has five pages. On main menu it says church history.

On the church history page is a home button, and a separate short menu for the history pages. I think that keeps things clear. I prefer vertical menus to horizontal ones for no earthly reason that I can think of; however, I might try a horizontal menu some time to see if it uses the available space better. It just might.

Remember, oh, you can't remember, you don't know. I taught myself to use the computer with PC for Dummies. That was 3 + years ago. I started working on our website with zero knowledge about 2 1/2 years ago. But I truly enjoy doing it and helping others when I can. Right now I am working with a 15 year old and an 85 year old both of whom can stand details. I have told them they chose a terrible thing to try. :-)

Carol

[Faithhb_lutheran]

Serious, last for now, post #3 :)

OK, what navigation (menu) systems on what websites do you like or what ones don't you like?

Can you say why if possible? Even if it it's, it just doesn't look / feel right.

The Stubster.

A little vague but here goes. USe KISS. no more than three levels anywhere, use visitor friendly words- no jargon, use dynamic menus only where needed a lot of users have javascript (among other technologies) disabled for security reasons.

[sstress]

This might help in the placement of your navigation... studies have been done to track the human eye as it scans a web page. They call it the F pattern.

I can tell you from my own experience that we webdesigners put too much pressure on ourselves to be unique. The web has become relatively standardized and users have grown very accustom to top horizontal and left rail navigation. Top nav is high level, left nav is sub.

Take a look at this study and you'll see the majority of eyeballs scan accordingly (which is why you'll see almost every major news site is formatted like this).

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

One more note... do not put your horiz nav across the very top of the page. Place it below the logo header, closer to the content.

I hope that helps!

Michael

[sstress]

It is I again. I don't like navigation menus which unfold and unfold and unfold a million times to the point I, for one, get lost. What I prefer is a straight-forward menu without anything fancy. For example, our section on church history has five pages. On main menu it says church history...

And one more note if I may... I agree with Carol! I do not like pop down/pop open/unfold menu style navigation. Our target audience could be from any age group and therefore simple and clean is better, unless of course you are targetting a youth audience. In that case... go for it.

[ckvkkeek]

<i>a lot of users have javascript (among other technologies) disabled for security reasons.</i>

Not true. Very few have it disabled. Less than 1 percent. And that one percent can't view many sites in the first place.

So I use Java, a simple drop down/ pop out structure then provide a 'site map' link at the bottom of each page.

[StubbyD]

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

One more note... do not put your horiz nav across the very top of the page. Place it below the logo header, closer to the content.


Excellent - thanks for this.

The Stubster.

[Faithhb_lutheran]

<i>a lot of users have javascript (among other technologies) disabled for security reasons.</i>

Not true. Very few have it disabled. Less than 1 percent. And that one percent can't view many sites in the first place.

So I use Java, a simple drop down/ pop out structure then provide a 'site map' link at the bottom of each page.

Where do you get this information. A recent press release from the mozilla foundation stated that from survey results they received they concluded that up to 30% of their users have some sort of javascript blocker installed. A similar post on the microsoft site stated that nearly half of IE6 users have some sort of javascript blocking.