[Sigia-l] potential challenge to the dominance of the left nav bar in local navigation

[Boniface Lau]

> From: sigia-l-admin at asis.org [mailto:sigia-l-admin at asis.org]On
> Behalf Of Peter Merholz
> 
>  
[...]
> > Do you know of a well-designed site with navigation bar moving
> > from page to page?
> 
> How about... Amazon!
> 
> (And, well, it depends on what you mean by "navigation bar."
> Amazon's global nav is always in the same place, but it's left hand
> "local" nav dances around.)
> 
> Do this:
> 
> Go to Amazon.com.
> 
> You've got nav in two places -- global across the top, and search
> and browse in modules on the left side.

That page has a one-column list box titled "Browse".


> 
> Click "Electronics"
> 
> Navigation stays in the same place.

That page also has a one-column "Browse" list box.

But notice that the page's right side has added three list boxes
titled "Top Sellers in Electronics", "Top Sellers in Digital Cameras",
and "Top Sellers in DVD Players".


> 
> Click "DVD Players"
> 
> And dig that crazy navigation shifting! Not only does it move, navigation
> becomes *more prominent*. It' takes up two columns, AND breadcrumbs have
> been added. Amazon becomes Navigation-riffic!

Yes, that page's layout seems a bit odd when comparing with the
previous pages. But the "Browse" list box hasn't moved. It is still on
the left side. Its format does changed from one column into two. And
the title becomes more specific, i.e. "Browse DVD Players".

There is another "Browse" list box beneath it titled "Browse Brands".

Also notice that on the page's right side there is no longer any list
boxes as in the previous page.


> 
> Click "All DVD Players"
> 
> And the left-hand navigation goes away! 

On that page, both the list boxes on the left and right disappeared.

ISTM, what you called "local nav" is just a list box mechanism that
appears or disappears when necessary.

As to whether users perceive those list boxes as "navigation bars", I
myself do not. In fact, as I was reading your message, what went
through my mind was the horizontal menu bar across the top. I didn't
recall seeing any navigation bar on the left. So I said to myself,
"What left hand local nav?"



Boniface

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