Written by: host
25/09/2008 06:44 

Site ID

    The site ID should be seen on every page. This is usually seen at the top of the page in the top left hand corner. The site ID represents the whole site; this means it’s the highest thing in the sections.

Sections and Utilities

    The sections are the links to the main sections of your site. They are primary navigation. Utilities are the links to your important elements. The utilities tabs should be slightly less predominant than the sections. As a rule the persistent navigation can only accommodate four or five utilities. If you try using more than that the user will get confused.

Take me Home 

    One of the most important navigation tabs is the Home Page. Having the Home Page tab in sight at all times offers reassurance, that no matter where you are in the site you can always go back to the Home Page with a click of a button. Always create a link in either the “Sections” or the “Utilities.”

Page Names

    Think about page names as street signs, when you know where you're going you don’t pay much attention to the street signs. But as soon as you’ve lost your bearings you start looking for street signs. This works the same way when on the web. You need to be able to spot the page name effortlessly in order to get your bearings. There are four things to consider:

• Every page needs a name. Think about what is the purpose of each page and give it a name which suits.
  
• The name must be visible on the page all the time and for that reason it needs to be situated in the right place.
• Make the name the largest text on the page so that everyone could understand that this is a heading. Make this clear by choosing the right position, size, color and typeface for it.
  
• Choose proper names for the pages.- The name of the page should match the words you clicked to get there. For example, if you clicked on a link named “Hobbies” and your browser's opened page named “My family” that'll make you think that you've clicked on the wrong link.

A Way to Search

    Many people prefer to use the search option box, instead of browsing. That's why it is highly recommended to have such. It’s very important to have a search option on every page. The search box must be simple and easy to use.

Where am I?

    Browsing your web site and clicking different links visitors will go into a section, then a subsection, and then a category from the subsection. That's why you need to include Local Navigation indicator on your page. When separating the categories, use the ‘greater than’ character (>) It’s best to use a small font size just to make it clear it’s an accessory. Use the words “You are Here”. Boldface the last item in the list to show that this is the current page your users are on. This then gives them a clear indication of what their current location is within the website.

You are here: Home > Women’s Clothes > Dresses > Casual dresses

Summary

     We all take these things for granted and expect them to be there, so make sure you include all these elements in your website. People are expecting them to be there, it will throw them off route if they don’t know where they are or they’ve looked around the sections can’t find what they are looking for. Little things that you may have missed out may just make users feel lost in your website. Don’t make people feel lost and not want to return!

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