1. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute The Web is a new medium Writing for the web is not like writing a print document Users tend to browse and glance at information until they find something they are after Web users have a very limited attention span

2. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute Non-linear authoring Don't assume users want to read a long piece of text Think for a moment about how you surf the web… Typically you are navigating to an answer – you don't stop to read the detail on the way

3. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute Pyramid structure Start with general content Enough information to explain Engaging and interesting Add detail on lower level pages Once the user is confident they are in the right place, they start to pay attention Follow the magazine analogy here Cover headlines attract attention Contents page explains more Article contains the detail

4. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute Site Mapping Navigational structure is normally defined by a sitemap This consists of a formalised plan/location allocation for every conceivable area of the multimedia artefact and produced at the planning stages

5. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute Site Mapping homepage Homepage Contact pageServicesProducts Software

6. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute Navigation Space devoted to helping users get around your site Can be either graphical or textual Top toolbars or side navigation bars are good examples Tends to have more space on home pages than on lower levels – white space as discussed previously

7. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute Navigation elements Consistent items for every page ie. Toolbar at the top Context dependent navigation Panel to one side Where am I? A breadcrumb trail Home > Products > Hair Dryers > Manufacturer > product details

8. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute Navigation as branding The design of navigation is integral to the branding of multimedia artefacts Has a consistent appearance Useful to people who enter a site without visiting the home page

9. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute Inside looking out Many websites follow a company's organisational chart exactly Every division wants a navigation button on the home page What do you do when the company reorganised? Users are goal-oriented – the best web sites reflect this

10. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute On every page? Should the same navigation appear on every page? Yes for some elements Link back to home page Search and site maps Major sections of a site No for others Material with no relevance to current page

11. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute Screen real estate Space on screen is a valuable commodity Important to get important information in the first eyeful Navigation tends to sit around the edges of the page

12. Copyright © 2003 Bolton Institute