The placement of your navigational elements on the page is just as important as the organization of your content and site structure.  Web surfers are familiar with navigation bars that appear on the top and left side of each, so capitalizing on this comfortable recognition will only help user to navigate your site.

Web Developers at Wisconsin University's DoIT Learning Technologies and Distance Education offer several helpful tips on layout.  "Navigational elements should have logical and consistent placement across the entire site. Navigation should be placed in the section(s) of the document where users will need it. Primary navigation, such as button and navigational bars, should be placed on the top and left of the screen. This is the primary "hot spot" of Web design. Hot spots refer to the area of the screen users first focus on (Konrad et. al., 2002)."

They also suggest additional navigational aids located at different point on each page:

• place secondary navigation at the bottom or right side of each page
• place links or buttons to allow users to return to the top of the page without having to scroll back up

Konrad et. al. summarize by saying, "All navigation, regardless of the kind, should be consistently located so users become familiar and dependent upon it. This will also help to create a consistent character or look and feel for the site."

Questions? Comments?  Do I practice what I preach? Contact me at afensie@attbi.com.
Organizing Your Web: A Guide to Creating Intuitive Navigation Structure was created by Anne Fensie for IT522 at Bridgewater State College.
Copyright 2002
Last updated October 03, 2006