Good website Navigation : Generally, Creating a good web site navigation is the most important task a web designer has to accomplish in the web design process. The Web site navigation is the pathway for the people to navigate through sites. So, it must be well constructed, easy to use and intuitive. Thus, the Poor navigation does not help users and often when your site can be proved less accessible than the others.

The Good navigation is fundamental to good web design in both business and informational sites – users should be able to find information easily. If the navigation is not easy to use or intuitive users will quickly go elsewhere in search of information. So, we often see ourselves in front of web sites without knowing what to do next. The navigation is well hidden or disguised that some users simply dont know how to use it. The Navigation is the single most important element in creating accessible and usable web sites with many important  conditions,

Checklist and key points to consider the designing navigation:

• Normally, the People can enter a site through any other page, not just the homepage. Using other pages as entry points is achieved through search engines, links from other web sites or bookmarks. The Users must easily find their way around a web site from every page. They should be able to reach the homepage from any page within the web site. Reaching all major site sections can only help them see more of the provided information.

• Bear in mind what people expect from good website navigation: primary navigation, secondary navigation, position of navigation, link titles, number of links per page.

• Keep in mind the less clicks with the better concept while designing web site navigation. You must aid your visitors in finding the information they seek as quickly as possible. The website must respond instantly to their instincts.

 

Think and act wise for design:
The most frequent issue in web design is that designers do not act and do not try to experience web sites from the user perspective. They are often misled to think that their web site’s navigation is the best when in fact it might not be. They might only have that impression for the simple fact that they are familiar with it.

Design good primary web site navigation:
Although primary navigation is very important users should not be forced to rely heavily on primary navigation but rather be able to use the smaller “door ways” to jump in the related pages:

Left navigation: The Left web site navigation is the most common type of navigation. However, the designer must make sure that at 800×600 resolutions or higher the most important navigation links are visible in the first page load and  they do not fold below the screen.

Top navigation: The Top navigation is the second most common navigation. The advantage of a top navigation bar which leaves more room below for the content and other relevant information.

Right navigation: Thus, a menu situated on the right hand side would be more difficult to use. Most of the People tend to read the navigation first and then the body text.

Text menus to help users:
The Text menus can be used as primary navigation but they can also be used as an additional navigation method. Thus, Often the text menu is placed at the bottom of the page. By the time, you finish reading relatively long pages with the main menu may be out of sight, a text menu in the page footer proves to be a solid navigation alternative for users who get easily confused or wish to save time.

Internal linking:
One important aspect of navigation is the internal linking between the pages. One can place links to other pages within the site in the actual body text of the page. This can help users find related information quickly. Internal linking can also help search engine spiders to find their way to every single page.

Reasons against intricate, overly modern navigation:
When designing for users which is important to give them what they expect. The Web designers should not confuse matters by using funky, intricate navigation no matter how cool it might be. The Users do not like to be kept away from the information they are after. They do not have the patience or time to discover and learn navigation, it should be instinctive and instantly clickable.

Thus to test web site navigation have inexperienced users navigate through the web site. If they find it intuitive to use then so will more experienced users. It means that the web site is a navigational success.

Source from Dubai Net Solutions