[Sigia-l] Breadcrumbs

[Livia Labate]

: the term 'breadcrumbs' brings about that exact hansel
: and gretel experience, which is to provide a way back from
: where you came. 'breadcrumbs' online don't do that. (...)
: breadcrumbs are a navigational tool to show the user where
: they are in the present hierarchy of the site.

True, they don't provide a way back, specially if you came from a search
engine. Breadcrumbs provide lots of options, not just 'you are here on page
X'. They provide context, orientation within the hierarchy AND ways to get
around (which is not substitute for the navigation, but provides navigation
features winthin a Linear Context - I.e: Home > Recipes > Italian >
Lasagna).

: how do those scenarios fit in the cognitive experience of H & G?

I understand where the confusion lies. The USE of breadcrumbs in the story
is different from the USE of breadcrumbs on Web sites.

1. H & G CREATED the path of bread crumbs signaling their way (which online,
equals to the information listed on the browser's Back functionality).

2. The breadcrumbs we create for Web sites, have a different purpose. They
indicate the Simplest Possible Path used to reach the content in question
inside that specific hierarchy. It is relative to the hierarchy, not to the
actual path the user may have taken.

If H & G had met someone along the way and asked "which way is out?" that
person may have showed them out of the woods using a different path -
perhaps the easiest way through the threes even (and here you see the
paralel with Web sites). This is what we call breadcrumbs.

The great thing about it, is that it not only it provides a direct path
'out', but provides context for the user, which in my opinion is the most
important role of breadcrumbs.

Livia Labate
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