-•- HomeOfficeDigest.com Newsletter - Issue 161 -•-
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THE HOME OFFICE DIGEST NEWSLETTER
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BE YOUR OWN BOSS
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Take a break! I know I recommend this every few months in this
section of the newsletter but I don't think many of you are 
really listening. Take advantage of working for yourself and
enjoy the freedom! There are many reasons that working more
than 40 hours in a week is considered to be overtime. Those 
reasons include a number negative physical and psychological 
effects that come as a direct result of being overworked. Even
if you can only squeeze in a few hours of "me" time a week, 
take those few hours to recharge yourself. "Me" time
is time spent away from not only the computer, but housework,
errands, any anything other than plain and simple relaxation!
As I said earlier, enjoy the freedom!


FEATURED ARTICLE
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How to Create an Effective Navigation Structure for Your Site 
By Herman Drost 

A ship captain traversing the open seas without a good 
navigation system will surely get lost. Maybe he'll strike sharp 
rocks and his ship will sink. A visitor who arrives at your 
site and can't navigate it for the information they seek, will 
surely get lost also and leave in frustration. Your ship (your 
web site) will also sink if this continues to happen. 

Good site design means a good navigation structure for your web 
site. This means the visitor can find the information with ease. 
Put yourself in the shoes of your Grandmother. Would she quickly 
and effortlessly be able to find the information she wants, or 
know what to click on to make the purchase? Don't think that 
just because it is easy for you, it will be easy for others. 

Visitors should not need to click more than three times during 
their navigation, to find the information they are searching 
for. 

1. Navigation Styles 
These can range from navigation buttons, navigation bars, 
plain text links, fancy animated graphics or drop-down select 
menus. You can also use illustrations, photographs or graphic 
images to show your visitor around. For example, an image map 
contains one graphic with different "hot spots"(invisible buttons) 
that link to other pages. 

2. Primary and Secondary Navigation 
Primary navigation consists of the navigation elements that are 
accessible from most locations within the site. 

Secondary navigation elements allow the user to navigate within 
a specific location. For example, many sites have a page that 
offers information about the company. The primary navigation 
element may be an About Us link. 

Once the user arrives on the About Us page, there will be other 
links (secondary links), which navigate within the About Us 
page. 

These could be links to Press Releases, Corporate Locations, 
Investor Information and so on. These links are secondary 
navigation elements because they are relevant to the About Us 
page but not the other pages of the site. Therefore, these links 
will not be found in other areas of the site. 

3. Guided Navigation 
This is a popular technique, in which you guide the visitor 
through your site. Links are provided for the next step and 
establishing links that keep the users on track continues 
the process. These links should supply the necessary 
information, as well as an alternate course clearly marked to 
allow the visitor to exit. For example, an online purchase 
should lead the user through shipping information, then on 
to payment information, then to receipt information. 

4. Creating a Navigation Action Plan 
Determine goals and needs of your audience Decide what the 
purpose of your site is and who your target audience will be. 
For more in-depth information on this subject visit: 
"How to Target Your Customers and Put Them in a Buying Mood" 
(www.isitebuild.com/target.htm) 

Learn from navigation that works Visit several successful sites 
that show good navigation e.g., Fedex.com. These sites show good 
navigation planning. 

Generally, good navigation includes several characteristics: 

Offers easy to learn elements 
Remains consistent 
Provides feedback 
Appears in context 
Offers alternatives 
Provides clear visual messages 
Offers clear and understandable labels 
Remains appropriate to the site's purpose 
Supports visitors goals and behaviors 

Providing feedback has the biggest impact on users. Navigation 
should tell people, where they are and if possible, where they 
have been. Visitors should also be able to easily determine 
linked or clickable material. 

They need to know whether they successfully made a purchase, 
conducted a search, or completed some other task. 

Navigation that allows visitors to find information easily and 
quickly will contribute to your web site's success. Ask your 
grandmother (or someone who is not familiar with the Web) to 
navigate your site. If they can find the information they want 
within 3 clicks, your navigation structure must be a success. 
Congratulations! 

----------------------------------------------------------------
Herman Drost is a Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) owner and 
author of iSiteBuild.com. Get a FREE Web Site Designed, when 
combined with our Hosting Plan. (www.isitebuild.com/freedesign.htm) 
Subscribe to the "Marketing Tips" newsletter for more original 
articles. mailto:subscribe@isitebuild.com 

 
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