Lost in Cyberspace

Interactive media is all about users interacting with content that has been presented in a virtual space. Although there are a lot of differences between virtual and real spaces, there are also a lot of similarities. For example, consider the process of searching for a particular item at a mall in a city that you’re visiting while traveling. You may start by asking directions from a passerby who appears to know the area. Or perhaps you’re renting a car and it has GPS onboard navigation. In either case you have to query the person or software to get a set of driving directions. Once you get to the mall, you have to locate the store that sells the item that you wish to purchase. And once inside the store, you need to find the specific article. Think about the navigation that is involved in the process that begins when you leave your hotel and ends when you successfully leave the store’s checkout counter. Navigation aids include; driving directions; maps and addresses; street signs; signs indicating building entrances and exits; “you are here” locators once inside the mall; and signs that label the specific store, department, merchandise for sale, and the always-hard-to-find checkout counter. While navigating in real space you depend on signs and other cues to let you know where you are and where you need to go to accomplish your task.

Now, consider the web or other interactive media space. Usability, or the ease with which a user can find and use interactive content, has to take into account the ease of navigation. For a web site that would include both navigation to, and within, a particular site. And usable web navigation starts with conventions and standards. Users shouldn’t have to try to figure out the navigation on your site…what Vincent Flanders refers to as Mystery Meat Navigation.

More and more people are starting with a search engine, and then, once arriving at a specific web page, looking for signs that indicate that they’ve found the right place. If they think they’re close, they may attempt to navigate the site. If not, they may hit the back button and try the next link in the search results. If your job is to design a site that provides a service or makes a sale, helping visitors find your site, and the specific content on your site, is a make-or-break proposition. To see if your site is up to the task, take the Navigation Stress Test.