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Group Patterns at a glance

k

Making Navigation Easy at a glance

Pattern group k

Customers can’t always find the links they want, or know where a link will take them. This pattern group describes several techniques for organizing and displaying navigation elements that make links easy to find and understand.

k1Unified Browsing Hierarchy

Community, content, and commerce are highly related, yet customers must often navigate to separate sections of the site for this information. Learn how to solve this problem by integrating your site organization into one unified browsing hierarchy.

k2Navigation bar

Customers need a fast and easy-to-understand method for accessing the major portions of a Web site. Learn how to create navigation bars that clearly show customers what your site has to offer.

k3Tab rows

Tab rows allow you to show hierarchies of information and let customers know where they are in the hierarchy. Learn how to use tab rows to provide clear and consistent navigation cues.

k4Action buttons

It is important to make clear what to click on to perform an action, such as purchasing an item. Learn how to create clear, effective action buttons.

k5High-visibiltiy action buttons

Customers sometimes have to scroll up and down to find the right button to click. Learn how to solve this problem by incorporating multiple copies of buttons on the same page.

k6Location bread crumbs

Customers need to know where they are on large sites, and how to return to where they were before. Learn how to use location bread crumbs to provide visitors with location indicators that they can also use for navigation.

k7Embedded link

Customers may find it tedious to have to go elsewhere on the page for additional information. Learn the pros and cons of using embedded links in the body of the text, as well as how to maximize their impact.

k8External links

Links to external Web sites can improve credibility, but they also make it easy for people to leave the Web site unintentionally. Learn some techniques for organizing external links so that there are no surprises.

k9Descriptive, longer link names

short link name often does not clearly indicate where the link leads. Learn how using descriptive, longer link names can guide customers to the right page.

k10Obvious links

Links have traditionally been indicated by the color blue and underlines. Learn the advantages of sticking with blue and underlined links, as well as some of the trade-offs of changing colors and styles.

k11Familiar language

Learn why it?????s important to use language familiar to your customers and how to discover the most effective terms.

k12Preventing errors

The fewer errors that visitors to your site encounter, the better. Learn how to anticipate potential errors that visitors might run into on your Web site and how to structure the site to avoid and prevent those errors.

k13Meaningful error messages

Good error messages can help customers gracefully recover from the few times when they make mistakes. Learn how to create effective, meaningful error messages.

k14Page not found

Getting just an error message when trying to access part of a Web site can be very frustrating. Learn how to let visitors know that a page has moved and help them find what they?????re looking for with a Page not found page.

k15Permalinks

Customers need a way of returning to Web pages that they?????ve bookmarked or linked to. Learn how to use permalinks to create links that will always work.

k16Jump Menus

Large sites need to provide navigation to key pages in a way that does not overwhelm visitors. Learn how to use jump menus to collect multiple navigation links into a single menu.

k17Site map

A site map lets customers see all of what your Web site has to offer. Learn how to create an effective site map.