Designing the Navigational Metafor for a Website

Designing the Navigational Metafor for a Website

Craig Borysowich (Chief Technology Tactician)

The navigational metaphor helps the user to quickly gain an understanding of the site organization and provides assistance in moving about the site.

Choose a Familiar Theme

Design a metaphor that works for the target audience. Choose a theme that is generally familiar to people (e.g., restaurant, library, museum, or bookstore). When preparing sites for a target audience with specialized knowledge, design a metaphor that is related to the specialty.

For example, consider the creative concept used to market a process management tool on a Web site.

Design the Graphics

Prepare the graphics to support the chosen metaphor. Use the Web Graphics Design technique to assist in this task.

Storyboard

Mock-up the flow of the major site constituents using a storyboard.

Pay Attention to Labels

Labels are the words used to identify the content and features of the site. When designing the labeling scheme, consider the following:

· Use the same style (i.e., font, capitalization, and punctuation) throughout the site. Make sure that the wording of the labels also remains consistent.

· The labels need to fit in with the overall theme. They should also behave the same throughout the site.

· Use terminology that is familiar to the target audience. Re-use existing categorization schemes for the subject area (e.g., taxonomy in biology).

· Avoid using general categories and terms that may have more than one meaning. Make the labels specific so that the audience knows what to expect.

Tips and Hints

Keep the theme simple. Place buttons and objects where they make sense. The user should naturally move to the area holding the information of interest.

Avoid using the organizational metaphor. While the organizational hierarchy of your company may make sense to you, it is unlikely to be meaningful to outsiders viewing the site.