Navigation

"Creating good web site navigation is the most important task a web designer has to accomplish in the web design process."  (http://www.mardiros.net/good-navigation.html) 

Good navigation will help people navigate through pages within the Web Site as well as outside of the Web Site without complications.  Nobody wants a difficult Web Site to use because it does not help the user.  They will loose interest and leave the Web Site, so it must be easy to use and constructive, also consistent is important.  An Internet user could be able to come across with a good Web Site, however, the navigation is poorly.  A viewer should not be able to come on to a Web Site and look around to see where the navigation menu is located.  I feel that it should only take a few seconds locate the navigation menu.  If you can not find the navigation menu in a few seconds, then there is a problem.  The reason people come to a Web Site is to get information.  If the viewer has a hard time navigating, perhaps its difficult to find what they are looking for, will loose interest and eventually leave the Web Site.  Some people use images as part of their navigation menu, but be sure to use it in the other pages and at the same location so the viewer knows where to look on the following page.  For bigger companies, may use scroll down menus or bread crumb trails, but my site will use the basic navigation menu.  Links are important too so that they are accurate and accessible to that page. 

            There are so many ways to make a Web Site interesting.  However, a Web Designer should never copy another Web Designer's site.  "It is often a tough challenge to come up with a meaningful, unambiguous way to organize, arrange, and display content to users; and it’s often not much easier to find a visually interesting solution either." (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/04/19/showcase-of-creative-navigation-menus-good-and-bad-examples/)  I feel that a Web Designer should be more creative with their own design, and that also means for the designer to sketch out their pages and thinking things through before designing, also making sure that the Web Site has good grammar. This also helps build credibility for them.  Some Web Designer may have extra links to their site where the viewer could go onto another Web Site to help them.  There is also a place where a viewer would have to sign in so they could retrieve full access to the Web Site, and if it is a blog that the viewer may be interested in, they could simply register to follow that Web Site. 

            One of my good examples of good navigation Web Site is that I want to make sure that my navigation menu are at the top of the Web Site right below the site's logo.  Sometimes when I view other Web Sites, I do notice the navigation menu would be on the left side.  "Traditionally the navigation menu is placed just below the header area or on the left hand side of the web page. Usability studies have shown that web site visitors instinctively look in these areas first." (http://www.jrox.com/content/article/139/good-website-navigation-design)  In my Web Site "The Life In Northern Ireland", my navigation menu will be below the header.  This way when viewers go onto my site, they know where to go and able to navigate it quickly and easily. 

            I will be adding pictures to my Web Site.  I always thought pictures makes a Web Site more interesting as well as presentable so it keeps the viewer on the Web Site.  My reason for add pictures is to give the viewers an idea how beautiful Northern Ireland is and worth visiting.

            I want to try to make the Web Site as convenient to the viewer without complications.  I know that it could be a hassle with many clicks with the mouse and not reaching anywhere.  This could be frustrating so the lesser clicks on my Web Site the better for the viewer to stay on my site.  Another good thing I may be considering is helpful and related links so it will help the user to find other resources.  I am also adding a contact information in case viewers would need to contact me and want to know any additional information on the Web Site.