TABLE OF CONTENTS People encounter many problems and obstacles when trying to use the Web. The most pervasive problem is navigating: finding your way to what you are seeking. The main reason for this is inadequate cues.
According to Web design analyst Jakob Nielsen (1999), successful navigation cues let people know
Where they are
Where they've been
Where they can go
To those I'll add another:
Whether their goal is near or far
As any Web user knows, the Web does not always let users know where they are, where they've been, where they can go, and whether their goal is near or far. As a result, people often don't find what they seek. Sometimes they even lose their way, becoming lost or disoriented.
This chapter describes the most common methods Web designers use unintentionally of course to hinder, divert, and block Web users from navigating to the content they seek. It also explains how to avoid using those methods.
According to Nielsen (1999), websites that reflect a company or agency's organizational chart are "a common mistake." I would strengthen that to "very common." Not only is it common, it is a disaster for a site's navigability and usability.
When a business or agency's organizational structure or history influence the design of its website, it is difficult for people to find what they are seeking or do what they...
