[Sigia-l] Re: Navigation Systems

[alfred at thunderstick.com]

Good paper. Since I work at the database end of the world, I tend to look
at the problem of information architecture as 'how can I best store this
information to lead to navigable systems'. The paper addresses navigation
concerns, but has no mention of the internals.

The question posed, however, was for navigation systems, not relational
designs that lead to storage, so MY BAD :)

Alfred Werner
SchemaThings

On Fri, 19 Sep 2003, Todd Levy wrote:

> >Is anyone aware of any work (books, blogs, papers, etc) done on Navigation
> >Systems and their classification? I'm thinking of things similar to the
> >Polar Bear's (2nd ed) chapter 7 - but with either more detail or different
> >viewpoints?
>
>
>
> I tend to align my thinking with the breakdown here...
>
> <URL: http://argus-acia.com/white_papers/analysts.pdf >
>
> ...extensively quoted and repurposed below.
>
> TL
>
>
>
> Global Navigation
> --------------------------------------------
> Global navigation allows access to the major content areas, and the most
> important tools and features offered on the site, such as login, search,
> help, supplemental navigation and the shopping cart. Global navigation
> should be persistent and consistent across the entire site.
>
> How
> Global navigation is often presented as graphical links at the top of the
> page, but it can also include textual links or appear on either side of the
> page. Sites with graphical global navigation at the top of the page often
> repeat the links as text at the bottom of the page, as a way to meet
> accessibility guidelines.
>
> Why
> Global navigation is important because it provides branding and helps users
> set the boundaries for a site.
>
>
> Local Navigation
> --------------------------------------------
> Local navigation allows users to browse within a content area, such as
> products or services. E-commerce sites often use local navigation users to
> see the product hierarchy or classification. Local navigation often provides
> links to the “local home page” of a section and “sibling pages” (i.e., pages
> on the same level of the hierarchy). Local navigation should be consistent
> within an area, but it may vary from area to area.
>
> How
> Local navigation is often presented as graphical or textual links in the
> left-most column of a Web page. Like global navigation, it can also use
> position indicators to show users where they are in relation to the other
> content that is near-by. It is important that the local navigation reflect
> the needs of the current section, while working in a consistent manner so
> users do not have to learn a new system for each area of the site.
>
> Why
> Local navigation is necessary when an area is important, complicated, or
> contains a lot of content. Well-done local navigation can keep users from
> having to “pogo stick” back and forth from an index page to all of its
> lower-level pages by making all of the options available from every page.
>
>
> Contextual Navigation
> --------------------------------------------
> Contextual navigation allows users to browse among related content spread
> out across the site. E-commerce sites often use contextual navigation for
> such purposes as cross-selling, up-selling, comparison and coordination
> shopping. On information-driven sites, it could be links to related content
> such as articles and other Web sites.
>
> How
> Contextual navigation is often presented as graphical or textual links that
> are adjacent to the primary content area of a Web page. Contextual
> navigation is conventionally labeled in a way that suggests why it is
> important to the user. For example, a list a page detailing a particular
> movie may introduce a column of contextual navigation to list similar movies
> and links to pages for each actor.
>
> Why
> Contextual navigation shows users information they may not have thought to
> look for on their own.
>
>
> Supplemental Navigation
> --------------------------------------------
> Supplemental navigation such as site maps, tables of content, indexes and
> guides give users a way to navigate a site without having to drill down
> through the primary hierarchy.
>
> How
> Typically, each type of supplemental navigation is presented on one or more
> dedicated Web pages. Site indexes and table of contents are regularly
> presented as simple textual outlines. Site maps range from text only to
> exploratory multimedia interfaces. Guides can take the form of tours, demos,
> and tailored content aggregation pages.
>
> Why
> Supplemental navigation is most useful when it gives users with a specific
> goal direct access to what they need. But supplemental navigation can also
> provide an overview of the site, allowing users to feel more comfortable
> with what is (and is not) there.
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Use custom emotions -- try MSN Messenger 6.0!
> http://www.msnmessenger-download.com/tracking/reach_emoticon
>
> ------------
> When replying, please *trim your post* as much as possible.
> *Plain text, please; NO Attachments
>
> Searchable list archive:   http://www.info-arch.org/lists/sigia-l/
> ________________________________________
> Sigia-l mailing list -- post to: Sigia-l at asis.org
> Changes to subscription: http://mail.asis.org/mailman/listinfo/sigia-l
>