Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
how easily visitors can find key information and, more importantly, how the
navigation is used to propel the online experience. A key question is, “Does
the website's functionality tools drive the user experience or is it the user
who judges the brand based on their ability to manipulate the main sections
and sub-sections of the website?”
Website competence has multiple dimensions. First, there is the navigation
which allows the visitor to discover the website's contents. Second, there is
the functionality which makes the website's tools efficient; and third, there is
the overall usability which gives the website visitor the desire to extend their
tour of the website and to discover the brand. All three aspects must work
together in order to drive the desired user experience.
Navigation
features such as menus and sub-menus indicate to the website
visitor what direction they need to follow in order to find specific content
and discover the brand. The placement of navigational menus and sub-menus
is a key factor in influencing the online brand experience and the website's
luxemosphere. While there is no right or wrong approach in the choice of
navigational menu style, it is a known fact that most Internet users read
from left to right and this affects their visual referencing for the layout of
web pages. Therefore, a menu toolbar that is placed on the left side of the
screen will have a different effect than if it were placed on the right side of
the screen. The same principle applies to reading from top to bottom and
from bottom to top. This explains why most websites place the sub-menus
at the bottom of the page. Multiple menu bars on the same website should
be non-repetitive and strategically placed. I've seen too many websites with
the same navigational menu placed horizontally and vertically, in a bid to
enhance clickability and visibility. This more often than not results in confu-
sion and presents the brand as desperate.
An additional important factor linked to navigational menus is the choice
of using a “drop-down” menu style or a “listing” menu style. The drop-down
menu style regroups topics that are linked together under one title. The title
is what is visible on the menu and the topics only appear when a mouse is
moved over the theme. This approach is most suitable for the simple and
sleek website design and has become more relevant even as Internet users
become more savvy with technology.
In ensuring the smooth web navigation of a luxury website, interac-
tive features that enable the feeling of movement on the website should
be enhanced through easy access to these features. For example, on some
websites, interactive flash animation is applied in the opening page of main
sections while videos are grouped in a specific section. Other websites may
prefer to integrate videos in multiple sections with a coherent structure,
which is fine as long as the navigation is uncomplicated and universal effect
leads to an enhanced luxemosphere.
Navigation could also be enhanced through the use of “breadcrumbs”,
which are texts placed in small sizes often towards the top of the screen.
