A01 chaf6542 06 se fm indd

Site navigation 

scheme

Tools provided to the user 

to move between different 

information on a website.

Flow

Flow describes how easy 

it is for users of a site 

to move between the 

different pages of content 

of the site.

Narrow and deep 

navigation

Fewer choices, more 

clicks to reach required 

content.

Broad and shallow 

navigation

More choices, fewer 

clicks to reach required 

content.

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Chapter 11  Analysis and design

an example of a home page which the visitors can bookmark. Nielsen (2000a) points out that 

many users will not arrive on the home page, but may be referred from another site or advert 

to a particular page. He calls this process ‘

deep linking

’ and site designers should ensure that 

navigation and context are appropriate for users arriving on these pages.

As well as compromises on depth of links within a site it is also necessary to compromise 

on the amount of space devoted to menus. Nielsen (2000b) points out that some sites devote 

so much space to navigation bars that the space available for content is limited. Nielsen 

(2000b) suggests that the designer of navigation systems should consider the following infor-

mation that a site user wants to know:

● 

Where am I? The user needs to know where they are on the site and this can be indicated 

by highlighting the current location and clear titling of pages. Chaffey et al. (2009) refer 

to this as context. Consistency of menu locations on different pages is also required to aid 

cognition. Users also need to know where they are on the web. This can be indicated by a 

logo, which by convention is at the top or top left of a site.

● 

Where have I been? This is difficult to indicate on a site, but for  task-  oriented activities 

such as purchasing a product, the display can show the user that they are at the nth stage 

of an operation, such as making a purchase.

● 

Where do I want to go? This is the main navigation system which gives options for future 

operations.

To answer these questions, clear succinct labelling is required. Widely used standards such 

as Home, Main page, Search, Find, Browse, FAQ, Help and About Us are preferable. But 

for other particular labels it is useful to have what Rosenfeld and Morville (2002) call ‘scope 

notes’ – an additional explanation. These authors also argue against the use of iconic labels or 

pictures without corresponding text since they are open to misinterpretation and take longer 

Deep linking

Jakob Nielsen’s term for 

a user arriving at a site 

deep within its structure.

Figure 11.20

(a) Narrow and deep and (b) broad and shallow organisation schemes