Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [130]
Navigation is not just limited to a single bar of links, using rollouts, flyouts, or whatever. Navigation is much more than this. In many well-designed websites, many users do not even see or identify the main navigation, because the rest of the information structure presented on the page is much more relevant and functional to their purpose. Developing clear navigational structures that speak to the visitor in many different ways is the method by which you can effectively lead them into the content of the site.
Figure 12-2 shows an example of a website for USB-rechargeable batteries. You can see that the main navigation is secondary to the benefit statements on the right side of the image. In fact, thanks to only a few well-written benefit statements, the visitor has the basics of the product’s advantages and available information within seconds. The main navigation across the top, while helpful, is not the primary source of information on this page. Other, more informative links and graphics are used to direct the user to the information that suits their needs.
Figure 12-2: USBCELL’s use of navigational items other than the main navigation is helpful and designed well.
The advantage of well-designed information architecture is clear. You do not have to rely upon the main navigation to be the sole information gateway. Rather, allow the multiple benefit statements for your business to draw in visitors. Bring out the “need beyond the need” as an information device. Provide groups of related links; as in the case of the previous figure, there are two clear groups of linked information: support and where to purchase. By bringing together elements of contrast, persuasive content, clear benefit statements, and calls to action, this design allows visitors to access multiple areas of content without feeling overwhelmed.
Tuesday: Categorize Subjects with Card Sorting and Tree Testing
Two very easy tools are available that will enable you to better develop website navigation as well as understand how visitors view the information on your website. These two tools, which can be employed by anyone, can help with a lot of content on the website. Better organization means better navigation.
Card sorting is a method of organizing subjects into categories. Customer involvement at this stage can help you explore how customers group and organize information into categories. What you learn from card sorting can be put into practice in developing the first few levels of navigation and grouping your content.
Tree testing tests the effectiveness of your navigation and information hierarchy. By giving a task-based test to your users, you can evaluate the effectiveness of your organization or navigation scheme. Mainly, this tests the words and labels for your navigation to see whether they are understood. Better content labels means better communication with your visitors.
Card Sorting
At its most basic level, card sorting is a great content organization tool. At the most complex, card sorting is a testing tool that allows developers to test the organization of content on a website. Before moving forward in the development process, or as a continual test during the development process, card sorting tests provide immediate feedback from testers about the type of content and its organization.
You can do card sorting anywhere with very little investment. This can be administered remotely by a computer, which allows input from clients and customers. In person, card sorting can be done on whiteboards, on walls, or even on floors using sticky notes or index cards. Whatever the medium, it cannot