Navigation

Jason Beaird writes that good design entails that users should be able to move about easily via intuitive navigation. He writes, "...the main navigation block itself should be clearly visible on the page and each link should have a descriptive title. A navigation structure that not only changes appearance on mouse hover, but also indicates the active page or section, helps users recognize where they are, and how to get to where they want to go."

Beaird emphasizes that navigation must be easy to find and use. Most users expect to see navigation right at the top of the page. If it is not at the top of the page, it should be as close to the top of the layout as possible. At the very least, it should be "above the fold," meaning that the user should be able to see the navigation when first visiting the site without having to scroll on the page.

Beaird also goes into the different types of navigation layouts:
Left Column Navigation is the most common type of navigation and is considered the "de facto standard." It is a safe choice for any project. Beaird writes that the left column isn't necessarily used for navigation. Navigation can also be located at the top. But all pages of this type divide the layout below the header into a narrow (1/3 or less) left column and a wide right column. A possible downside to this type of navigation is that there can be a lack of creativity; this type of navigation layout has been done so many times, that most websites with this layout tend to look the same. An example of left column navigation is the website for Target.

Right Column Navigation is very much like left column navigation, only reversed. Because users in the West read from left to right, this type of layout allows the page's main content to be the first thing the viewers see. Beaird writes that a possible advantage of this type of layout is that the navigation is right next to the scroll bar. He also writes that this type of layout is good if you want to do something different. The website for Audi is an example of right column navigation that Beaird gives.

Three Column Navigation is described by Beaird as a "wide center column flanked by two smaller navigation columns." He writes that this type of layout may be necessary on pages that have a ton of navigation, short bits of content, or advertisements to display. He urges caution when attempting this type of navigation, because a lack of enough whitespace could lead to cluttering. An example of three column navigation is the website for Best Buy.

Expansive Footer Navigation is a relatively new trend. It is found at the bottom of pages and is often used to include "content information, expanded site navigation, and extra content such as blog rolls, link rolls, Flickr badges," etc. One example Beaird gives of this is www.powazek.com.

Three Columns with Content First is a layout that has been picking up steam, according to Beaird. The layout is exactly how it sounds: wide column with content on the left, with two smaller columns to the right. An example of this type of layout is CBS Sportsline.