Comments on: Rethinking website navigation design http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/ User Experience Design, Web Development, and Internet Marketing Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:45:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Liam Dilley http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/#comment-32155 Liam Dilley Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:16:28 +0000 http://briancray.com/?p=625#comment-32155 Site Navigation for me: 1. The site Should not be made to fit the Navigation you want to use. 2. Navigation should always be custom to the site/web application it is being used in. 3. In saying 2 it also needs to be obvious and easy to use and there when needed. (Showing all links is not needed, go into an aspect of the site and more links etc are shown) With 3, the most common thing at the moment is using the same navigation as a site/ web application that does the same things and because most people do this familiarity is created. This causes an issue because this is not necessarily the right thing? Designers are reducing innovation? Take Basecamp from 37 signals, A lot of other web applications now use the same layout as them and people see this as the norm. It is not wrong, but I do think innovation is hampered. The problem is if you create a unique navigation even when it works, people find it hard to use at first because it is different from what they expect. It could be better but people are off put by this. SO... Your stuck really. - Design something that is unique for what you are making it for which works and very clever BUT then has a learning curve which puts off a lot of users. This could be the norm and everyone loving it at some point but do you take that risk? Try to get your client to agree on this could be a challenge. - Find examples of similar sites/systems and use what you need to create a navigation someone can relate to easily BUT not necessary fitting what you have created. Creating yet another "copy" a good thing? Site Navigation for me:

1. The site Should not be made to fit the Navigation you want to use.

2. Navigation should always be custom to the site/web application it is being used in.

3. In saying 2 it also needs to be obvious and easy to use and there when needed. (Showing all links is not needed, go into an aspect of the site and more links etc are shown)

With 3, the most common thing at the moment is using the same navigation as a site/ web application that does the same things and because most people do this familiarity is created.
This causes an issue because this is not necessarily the right thing? Designers are reducing innovation?
Take Basecamp from 37 signals, A lot of other web applications now use the same layout as them and people see this as the norm.
It is not wrong, but I do think innovation is hampered. The problem is if you create a unique navigation even when it works, people find it hard to use at first because it is different from what they expect. It could be better but people are off put by this.

SO…

Your stuck really.

- Design something that is unique for what you are making it for which works and very clever BUT then has a learning curve which puts off a lot of users.
This could be the norm and everyone loving it at some point but do you take that risk? Try to get your client to agree on this could be a challenge.

- Find examples of similar sites/systems and use what you need to create a navigation someone can relate to easily BUT not necessary fitting what you have created.
Creating yet another “copy” a good thing?

]]> By: Jan-Marten de Boer http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/#comment-32153 Jan-Marten de Boer Mon, 29 Mar 2010 22:53:15 +0000 http://briancray.com/?p=625#comment-32153 The most awesome thing is that he somewhat fixed the whole issue while i was writing my complaint >< The most awesome thing is that he somewhat fixed the whole issue while i was writing my complaint ><

]]> By: Jan-Marten de Boer http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/#comment-32152 Jan-Marten de Boer Mon, 29 Mar 2010 22:47:39 +0000 http://briancray.com/?p=625#comment-32152 @ Stuart Foster Your site looks good, but i miss "The big picture". You just dumped a bunch of social networking icons at the first place on a website your visitor is gonna check.. That's awfull thinking dude.. It's so nice, clean and well thought and then you throw out some icons you'd rather get rid of then throw them to your visitors.. I wasn't excited within the golden "3 seconds" because i was trying to figure out what actuality was being described by the supposed expected te be "hot topic picture" which was just a bunch of icons... poor choice... @ Stuart Foster
Your site looks good, but i miss “The big picture”. You just dumped a bunch of social networking icons at the first place on a website your visitor is gonna check.. That’s awfull thinking dude.. It’s so nice, clean and well thought and then you throw out some icons you’d rather get rid of then throw them to your visitors.. I wasn’t excited within the golden “3 seconds” because i was trying to figure out what actuality was being described by the supposed expected te be “hot topic picture” which was just a bunch of icons… poor choice…

]]> By: Navigation types « Lostneedle's Blog http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/#comment-31965 Navigation types « Lostneedle's Blog Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:36:12 +0000 http://briancray.com/?p=625#comment-31965 [...] http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/ [...] [...] http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/ [...]

]]> By: Dmitry http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/#comment-28801 Dmitry Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:12:47 +0000 http://briancray.com/?p=625#comment-28801 After reading your article, it somehow motivates me to get down on working on redesigning my company site. Thanks! After reading your article, it somehow motivates me to get down on working on redesigning my company site. Thanks!

]]> By: Web Designing Company http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/#comment-28369 Web Designing Company Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:25:35 +0000 http://briancray.com/?p=625#comment-28369 Navigation of a website is very important in website designing. Nice points Navigation of a website is very important in website designing. Nice points

]]> By: Yael Reinhardt-Matsliah http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/#comment-27935 Yael Reinhardt-Matsliah Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:45:35 +0000 http://briancray.com/?p=625#comment-27935 oh, nevermind about the nav :) pretty silly question -- you're just using bread rumbs.... oh, nevermind about the nav :) pretty silly question — you’re just using bread rumbs….

]]> By: Yael Reinhardt-Matsliah http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/#comment-27864 Yael Reinhardt-Matsliah Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:38:14 +0000 http://briancray.com/?p=625#comment-27864 This certainly gets the brain whizzing --- navigation is such a "standard" part of design. I'm curious --- isn't the navigation you've implemented a great example of what you are say about navigation? I'm also curious ---- how to you do the navigation thing on this site? Tells you where you are, then updates when you click a link in the content Actually, your site design is a "rethinking" of web design period! Thanks for activating the brain cellls :) This certainly gets the brain whizzing — navigation is such a “standard” part of design.

I’m curious — isn’t the navigation you’ve implemented a great example of what you are say about navigation?

I’m also curious —- how to you do the navigation thing on this site? Tells you where you are, then updates when you click a link in the content

Actually, your site design is a “rethinking” of web design period!

Thanks for activating the brain cellls :)

]]> By: rebellawearsundies http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/#comment-20636 rebellawearsundies Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:51:12 +0000 http://briancray.com/?p=625#comment-20636 What was the second? What was the second?

]]> By: Venny http://briancray.com/2009/06/07/rethinking-website-navigation-design/#comment-2457 Venny Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:06:39 +0000 http://briancray.com/?p=625#comment-2457 Brian, great post. Having designed umpteen-million nav schemes, the only thing I've learned to be true is this: keep it simple. Don't get cutsie, especially with labeling. I think most of your points align with that... I particularly like "...what the user wants to accomplish." I think there's a lot of room for improvement here. Thanks for the post. Brian, great post. Having designed umpteen-million nav schemes, the only thing I’ve learned to be true is this: keep it simple. Don’t get cutsie, especially with labeling. I think most of your points align with that… I particularly like “…what the user wants to accomplish.” I think there’s a lot of room for improvement here. Thanks for the post.

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