Introduction
Modern websites contain a wide array of information, often
designed with different goals and audiences in mind. Fostering
the user’s ability to effectively navigate information contained
on a website is a hallmark of good web design and a crucial
aspect of user experience. The underlying principles and
practices behind how a website is structured and presents its
information to the user are known as information architecture.
Website navigation is a vital component of information
architecture, as it presents the user with a path for navigating a
website. How the options for navigating a website are
presented to the user can make or break a website, and can
ultimately determine if a website is effective in achieving its
goal, whether that goal is informing an audience, selling a
product, or some other objective. If a user is not able to
effectively navigate a website they may leave that website
never to return. User-centered website navigation, informed by
the principles of information architecture and usability, should
be a key feature of any website that hopes to attract, build, and
maintain any type of audience.
Aside:
Just like the blueprints of a dream home or the outline of a
well-written article, good website structure organizes
information in a way that enhances the user experience and
delivers pertinent information as quickly as possible. (Sloboda,
2010)
The four “C’s” of website navigation:
Effective website can be thought of in terms of the four “Cs”

Consistency

Clarity

Context

Character
Consistency
Having consistency in website navigation entails having
navigation menus positioned in common places that are
expected and intuitive to users. Depending on the nature and
focus of the website either horizontal or vertical navigational
menus tend to be the norm, with a number of websites
employing both types of menus. Organizing website content
into a series of categories, with each having their own landing
page with navigation specific to that category can be a good
way to provide navigation for sites containing a lot of
information that may span multiple classifications (Neilson,
2009). Specifically, a global navigation scheme should be
accessible from every page of the website. A global navigation
menu should be placed close to the top of a page and/or on the
bottom of the page, in the footer so the user has access to the
main navigation options no matter where they are on a given
webpage. DeWitt’s study (2010) concluded that the user’s
browsing experience is fastest when using the global and local
navigation menu.
Consistency in navigation helps users to understand and grasp
a website’s information architecture easily and apply their own
understanding while navigating throughout a website (Neilson,
2009). For example, e-commerce sites employ shopping cart
approach whereby the user selects the items they wish to
purchase and they are then presented with options to
“checkout,” check their account and get help. Such types of
navigation have become the norm for e-commerce sites, so
using that type of navigation makes sense since users have
certain expectations from websites where they purchase items.
Clarity
Website navigation must present clear choices to users so they
can understand where they are navigating to and understand
the direction they are being taken in. Interface and graphic
design play a significant role in making navigation choices
clear to users. The sizes of text and interactive elements should
be large enough to read and there and navigation choices
should be made clear where they are taking the users (Petrie &
Power, 2012). For example, links to PDF documents or external
links should be distinguished from links to other pages or
internal links. DeWitt (2010) notes that considerably attention
should be dedicated to the terminology and aesthetics of users,
such as the placement of particular common links such as
“Home” “My Account”/Login”, which typically default to the
right-hand side of a web page. The choice of language used for
menu and other navigational links is also important and
depends heavily on the audience the website hopes to attract.
The choice of language to use in navigation is a strategic, and
sometimes political choice that reflects the image that an
organization or individual projects to it’s audience and
customers. As Neilson (2009) notes:
Old words are better. When users understand their choices,
they're more likely to pick the right one. Speak plainly and
speak simply. If users don't understand a menu item, they're
less likely to click on it. Paradoxically, companies are
particularly prone to making up fancy terms for their newest
and most important offerings, thus shooting themselves in the
foot with a double-barreled rifle. (Neilsen, 2009)
Character
The character of website navigation is the role that it allows
the user to assume when navigating the website. For an
increasing number of websites there are multiple ways to
access a websites’ content, depending on how a user may
perceive their role in interacting with the website. For
example, figure __ shows a navigation options from Mount
Saint Vicent University which provides a number of roles for a
user to assume and once they select one of those options, they
are presented with navigation items best suited to their
identified role.
[Graphic]
Web designers and information architects should not assume
that website users are a homogenous group, all searching for
the same information and all with the ability to navigate any
scheme that might be presented with them. Personalizing
navigation – <em>giving it character</em> – can be an
effective approach for reaching their targeted audience.
However, such personalization is expensive and very costly to
deploy – web designers and information architects should
think carefully about the type of personalized approach that is
within their means to employ and which audiences they hope
to reach.
Context
The final crucial aspect of website navigation is context. In
order for a user to effectively navigate through a website they
need to have the “bigger picture” and know where they are
situated within a website. This is particularly problematic for
users who access a website through a search engine result and
have not had the experience of clicking links to arrive at a
certain area within a website (Neilson, 2009). Breadcrumb
trails, such as the one shown in figure __ can serve as an
effective navigational tool for showing a user where he or she
is situated within the larger website.
[Picture demonstrating a breadcrumb trail]
Having effective navigational aids such as breadcrumb trails, or
highlighting indicating a user’s position within the website go a
long way in providing context to a user and creating an
effective user experience when navigating a website.
Conclusion
In closing, website navigation – a key focus of information
architecture – is a core aspect of creating a good user
experience for websites. What constitutes “good” website
navigation should be determined by users – not experts. As
Petrie and Power (2012) reported – users, rather than experts
were more prone to find problems with website navigation.
The four “Cs” of website navigation – consistency, context,
clarity, and character – provide a framework for understanding
how to create effective website navigation while keeping the
user experience front and center. Businesses or organizations
designing websites have a tendency to think about themselves,
rather than the users and develop a website based on what
they themselves want – not what visitors might want or need
(Sloboda, 2010). When designing a website designers and
information architects need to have a keen awareness of the
goals of the website, whether that be selling a product,
providing information on a certain topic, or educating people
about a particular cause or issue.