Day Job: Determining Website Navigation

In my day job, I advise website development clients extensively about site content navigation.  The way a website’s information is organized and labeled is crucial in ensuring it’s success.  I’ve observed two main perspective shifts that can help clients achieve a more effective linking structure.

1.  Shift:  Internal perspective to User perspective
Many clients organize their content based on how their company or sales process is organized.  But, because web visitors don’t necessarily understand how a client’s organization works, a linking structure based on that perspective can make finding information difficult.  A good content structure starts with stepping into the user’s perspective.

2.  Shift:  Linear approach to Scavenging approach 
In short, good navigation much relinquish control over the user’s experience.  Unlike a user’s experience of a brochure which has a limited flow of options, websites have a multitude of paths for experiencing the information.  Through the realities of search engines, this includes the possibility of users entering the experience from virtually any page on the site.  Content structure must accommodate the scavenging nature of  online users who click from point to point based on their need for information, which may have little or no relation to how a client would logically organize content.

These shifts can put clients in the right mindset to establish a working navigation structure that will serve the needs of a variety of users.  My article for eHow on determining navigational structure offers more helpful hints.  Click and comment!

How to Determine a Website’s Navigation Structure