The role of the navigation system: tell you where, where you can go, what you have here, what's nearby, and guide you in your next actions.
Classification of navigation systems: Whole station, area, situational type, auxiliary navigation.
navigation features of browsers
Consider the browser environment, in fact, the browser has back, forward, collection, set as the homepage and other functions, but sometimes in the page itself browsing situation is also best to put these features, such as browsing an article, to the end can see [collection], [close], [Return] and other functions can be convenient for many users after reading other intentions of the operation. There is also the distinction between the text style with no links, whether or not to browse the style of the text (these are actually written in the context of CSS styles).
setting up a situation
The most typical example is that users randomly search a Web page from Google, and when they click on the page, they go into a situation. The situation should tell the user where it is. (where I am, what this site is), what's here (page title), what the user can do next (can see, can download, can buy), where else can go (column, this page of the navigation), the above is similar to "Don" make me think the inside page of the 6 basic elements: 1. Site ID, 2. Page name, 3. Column Next Level column, 4. Page navigation, 5. " You're here. "indicator, 6. Search.
Improve Flexibility
The content of each column in the website may maintain the vertical arrangement way, but when the user accesses the content to consider the TA may jump to the other column at any time the level two, the level three page, maintains the horizontal and the longitudinal navigation, the attention does not navigate the auxiliary function the setting. Provide increased context and flexibility to compensate for the deficiencies of the hierarchical system.
Total Station navigation system
The whole station navigation system is to be displayed on every page of the website navigation system, can directly connect to important areas and functions, regardless of the user at which level. All-station navigation is consistent and is designed and tested in a dense and repetitive visitor-centric system.
It is worth mentioning: a situational Global navigation system, this kind of navigation not only tells you what the content here, but also tells the user which piece of content. (Figure 1) Figure 1
Regional Navigation system
When the user is in a column, perhaps the column will be divided into a lot of small columns, the small column out to facilitate users can immediately browse those content, some sites will be the whole station navigation and regional navigation integration into a consistent and unified system, the following pull menu. As with the whole station navigation, in the same site their performance form the best consistent and unified.
Situational Navigation
After entering the destination page, there are some content that points to specific pages, files, objects. For example, the website "related articles", "like this product users will also like", "similar TOP10", to note [Situational Global navigation system] is mainly the location of the description, [situational navigation] is explained in this page content of the situation, What relevant content can tell and provide links to the user (called external contextual navigation links, play concept:). For example, you buy the book "Proficient in CSS" in Joyo, in the page that introduces this book, there are always some links point to other books with CSS class. There is also a link in the text described in the article (called Inline contextual navigation links, play the concept:).
Practice Embedded Navigation
Realize that the whole station, area and situation area navigation elements coexist on most Web pages, how to integrate in the website. But this question may involve: the website column how many, the page structure complexity, realizes some effect the JS program, the interaction process related these.
Auxiliary navigation system
Include site map, index, guide. Key to ensuring availability and accessibility of large web sites.
Site Map: 1. Strengthen the level of information, so that users are familiar with the organization of the content of the way. 2. For users who understand the purpose of the website, it facilitates their quick and direct access to content. 3. Avoid letting users take on too much information to assist users. Site map to enhance the level of sense, the sense of exploration. Site Map has a very real benefit, when you find a site in the search engine, it can directly bring you to the relevant columns. (Figure 2)
Figure 2
Web site Index: That is, the content of the site to keywords, words, labels in a certain order (letters, strokes) arranged. There can be no hierarchical relationship between the contents. To facilitate the search for known items, such as singers to find "Zeng", as long as the first word to find the Pinyin "Z" can be.
For small Web sites, you can use the knowledge you have about content to decide which links to introduce to create an index.
For a large web site first the user selects the term from the index, and then chooses the desired one from the list of files indexed by the term.
Guide:The Novice guide to the website. Design Guide Principle 1. The Guide is short. 2. Users can leave the guide whenever they are available. 3. Allow the user to move forward and back freely in the guide. 4. The guide is designed to answer questions. 5. The screenshot should be clear and have the effect of magnifying the key function. 6. If the guide has several pages, ask for a table of contents.
Wizards and Configurator:Mainly assists the user to choose the configuration product detail (Figure 3) Figure 3
Advanced Navigation Methods
Personalization and Customization：
Personalized(Guess what the user wants.) It works well in a particular environment, but fails when the user experiences it, which is tailored to the user's behavior, needs, and preferences. If you buy Books Online, there will be "recommend similar books", there may be some recommended books you have bought and read.
Customization of(Users tell us what we want.) But sometimes the user doesn't know what they want, it's a direct control of the user and can be adjusted for the combination of presentation formatting, navigation, and content options. such as Google Reader.
Visualization of:Allows users to browse groxis in a visual way. (When browsing the museum web site is like a real-life museum in the same immersive feeling, think of Google Music [pick songs] column may be more similar to this concept)
Social Navigation
:The demand point and interest point of users ' Internet can be deduced from observing other user's behavior. For example, some people on the Forum, micro-blog is to see what the recent network topics, pay attention to some popular labels, titles; This kind of label, the topic is mainly through the search log, usage statistics, customer database, such as webmaster statistics software obtained. (In fact, this is also situational navigation, but the author uses this kind of navigation method to induce: this kind of navigation content is generated by the user's behavior statistics, became [social navigation])
