Setting Up Your Navigation
Navigation walkthrough
Keep in mind...
Keep it simple and curate your content: Instead of including every page of your site in the Main Navigation, use the IA as an opportunity to tell a more concise story around your content. Create landing pages that group detail pages or content more thoughtfully.
- Remember that user needs are just as important as business goals: Avoid using industry jargon or specific branded product names in the navigation. Label content by keeping it mind what it actually is or does, or what value it brings to your audience.
Know when to keep them and when to send them away: Make sure any links to internal pages open within the same window to create a seamless user experience. PDF or media links, as well as any external links, should open in a new tab.
Have a place for everything and everything in its place: If you're wondering where a new page in your site should live in your Navigation or page structure, try doing a card sort activity or asking your users where they'd be most likely to look for that content.
The blueprint for your website
Information architecture, or "IA" is the methodology with which information is organized and presented on your website. It's not exactly the same as your main navigation though they are often referred to together, because when they work in concert, they make your site easy to navigate and the content easy to find.