Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Web Design - Coggle Diagram

- - - - If you use icons (small images) as the links within a navigation bar, it is advisable to complement them with text labels. Very few icons have universally recognised meanings. For example, an icon that is readily recognised as a mailbox in one culture, could be surprisingly unfamiliar to people from other cultures. Ambiguous icons are more confusing than helpful.
      - Navigation bars are usually either horizontal or vertical. The number of links in the bar sometimes determines its orientation. If a navigation bar has a large number of links, a horizontal orientation might be impractical. Users should be able to see all navigation options simultaneously without having to scroll the page.
      - Placing a horizontal navigation bar at the top of a page makes the links immediately accessible as soon as the page loads (see Figure 9-4). The downside of using a horizontal navigation bar at the top of the page is that it quickly scrolls out of view. Some designers place a second horizontal navigation bar at the bottom of each page for this reason
- - - - • Speak the user's language. Successful labels match the thinking and language of a site's visitors, not its designers or owners. Take special care to avoid jargon and organisation terminology. • Don't be too terse. If the meaning of a label is ambiguous, consider supplementing its first appearance with a brief description. • Add text labels to icons. Although icons are commonly used as navigation controls, their meanings are generally open to more than one interpretation. • Apply labels consistently. Using the label 'Main' on one page and 'Home' on another will hinder the familiarity that users need when navigating a site. • Match link labels to headings. Ensure that labels on navigation controls match the headings on the pages they link to. • Give pages meaningful titles. Titles are often used as the main references to pages in browser history lists and bookmark lists
- - - - Style: Does it get to the point or does it waste your time? Does it suit the purpose of the site? Is it fresh and new or is it written in a flat corporate voice?
        • Personality and impact: Does it have personality (but not too much)? Does it strike a chord with you? Do the words make you want to stay?
        • Reality: Does it feel real and truthful or is it full of hype and hot air? Do you believe it?
        • One way or two: Does it open up a two-way conversation? Does it make you want to get in contact? Do the experiences of users inform the site?
        • Voice: Does it sound as though a real human wrote it? Would you spend time with that person? Does it sound like the same organisation you dealt with by phone, in person or in writing?
- - - - be easily learned; • remain consistent; • provide feedback; • appear in context; • offer alternatives; • require an economy of action and time; • provide clear visual messages; • use clear and understandable labels; • be appropriate to the site's purpose; and • support users' goals and behaviours.