HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 2.6
From the Fruits
page, you can find
the Soft Fruits
page.
2
Note that each level has a consistent interface (up, down, back to index), and that each
level has a limited set of choices for basic navigation. Hierarchies are structured enough
that the chance of getting lost is minimal. This especially is true if you provide clues
about where up is; for example, an Up to Soft Fruits link as opposed to just Up.
In addition, if you organize each level of the hierarchy and avoid overlap between topics
(and the content you have lends itself to a hierarchical organization), using hierarchies
can be an easy way to find particular bits of information. If that use is one of your goals
for your visitors, using a hierarchy might work particularly well.
Avoid including too many levels and too many choices, however, because you can easily
annoy your visitors. Having too many menu pages results in “voicemail syndrome.” After
having to choose from too many menus, visitors might forget what they originally
wanted, and they're too annoyed to care. Try to keep your hierarchy two to three levels
deep, combining information on the pages at the lowest levels (or endpoints) of the hier-
archy if necessary.
Linear
Another way to organize your documents is to use a linear or sequential organization,
similar to how printed documents are organized. In a linear structure, as illustrated in
Figure 2.7, the home page is the title or introduction, and each page follows sequentially.
In a strict linear structure, links move from one page to another, typically forward and
back. You also might want to include a link to Home that takes the user quickly back to
the first page.
