Got Navigation? - Good navigation should...
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Good navigation should make it impossible for visitors to get lost. To help orient users, always provide them with a point of reference, and make it clear where they are in the site and how to get back. Avoid putting information more than 2 or 3 levels deep – you don’t want users to get buried 4 or 5 levels down in your site, since they may become frustrated or disoriented and just move on.
Consistency is also key in good navigation; don’t confuse your users by changing the navigation links on every page. Instead, consider using an overall menu structure, then adding sub-categories and links on individual web pages as necessary.
Think Like A User
The best way to design an effective navigation system is to think the way your users think, and anticipate the ways that they want to go. Users are typically very goal-driven; they are pretty focused on finding what they’re interested in, and tend to ignore the things that don’t apply to them. Give them a clear navigation system that lets them find what they’re looking for first – once they know they’re in the right place, they can look at the rest of the information on your site in more detail.
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