Organizing the Content

• Training: brief and linear - take a step at a time and when you've mastered the current step you move the the next step.
• Teaching: complex and often linear - materials are grouped according to topics and little embedding of links is done. Users at these sites are also the ones most likely to want to print out pages.
• Self-Education: complex and non-linear - from any starting point mulitple options, all interlinked, are available, allowing the user a flexible path so they can learn independently. Links are often embedded in the content. Users at these sites often print pages for later study or referral.
• Reference: Just the answer to my question, please! Reference sites provide users with tons of information and no specific path in which to find it - though they will have many themed categories from their homepage and almost always a prominent search feature.

• Decide what the purpose and scope of the site is to be
• Identify what "chunks" of information you have and who, precisely, owns these content chunks.Important to remember - if you do not own the information - then you shouldn't publish the information. The information owner has responsiblity to make the information available online so that you can link to it.
  • Identify logical divisions - or general categories. These may be the main topics on your homepage.
  • Organize the chunks of information according to the logical divisions keeping in mind their relative importance to one another. In the end you'll want the more general information closer to the homepage and the more specific information in sub-sections. Chunks should rarely be more than three web screens.
  • Here's an exercise to try with your users - put the chunks of information on pieces of paper and have them organize them into general categories or specific paths.
  • Always be willing to reorganize the site's structure while in the planning stages. This is an ongoing process - involve your users!  
    
• Outline several scenarios on how the content may be used. What tasks will your users do at your website?
• Involve users in this process.
• Create storyboards for key scenarios.
• Have users validate your storyboards.
• Revise storyboards based on user feedback.
  
• Continue the process . . .

Navigation - don't lose your users

Tables of content and navigation bars, whether text links, buttons, or tabs, should limit the number of options in each grouping. It's better to have several navigation bars of six or less items. More than six and the it's harder for the human brain to process them.

Websites should have clear and consistent navigation options throughout the site. There should always be links to the homepage, the key sections of the site, the starting point for the section the page is in, and the spawning page.

For complex sites always include a sitemap to help users navigate between sections of the website. "I know that information was at this site -but where?"

When providing links to other websites, consider the option to open a new browser window when they select a link off your site. They may wander off to new websites - but they'll still have your website on their screen too.

Implementation for Usability

• Usability and testing

Maintenance

• Nightmare on Web Street

LLLarsen, VLWarnick, First published December 1994. Last revision January 2002