Page 54 - Payout Magazine Online Volume 9.3

Designing an
Effective
Navigation System

One of the most challenging aspects of basic navigation baseline that is used in many like YouTube almost completely relies on UI
creating a website is constructing an website templates across the internet. There is based navigation. While there is a side bar
effective navigation system that appeals no general requirement to follow this template, that can filter out different types of videos and
to visitors. The importance of a complete although many users are accustomed to looking subscriptions, the top of the website is mostly
navigation system cannot be overstated, mainly for this bar at the top of the website. covered with UI elements that can be clicked to
because it is the core mechanic of your website. open drop down menus. This is a modern style
There is no website without a functioning The five most important pages of your that has become more popular in recent years
navigation bar that can direct visitors to the website should be covered on this navigation as websites have evolved from their original
categories that are necessary. bar. The home page and a contact us page are templates into something different.
pretty much a universal category included on
There are multiple forms of navigation just about every website. The three remaining This type of format for navigation can
systems that can be created for different tabs can serve as a profile editor, account certainly work, so long as it makes sense
purposes. The most common type of navigation manager, or some other similar dashboard that to users. The flow of the user interface is
system is usually a navigation bar located at provides information to the visitor. extremely important in this type of scenario, or
the top of the screen. There are various tabs, else frustrated users may begin to struggle with
categories, and buttons that can direct to � Navigation Side Bar navigation on your website. It is worth noting
different locations and pages on the website. that YouTube has already been on a roller
Having the perfect amount of navigation links Navigation side bars are certainly less coaster when it comes to receiving the different
is important, because too many can leave users common than header bars, but they still are forms of feedback that they have come across
confused with a cluttered interface, while too relatively popular across broader types of over the last ten years.
few can make it impossible to find what visitors websites. Some websites are better formatted
are looking for. with a side bar, but in most cases it depends on A modern effective navigation system
the specific situation. requires simplicity and a theme that resonates
You will probably want to factor in the with modern technology. A modern template
layout of your website before determining the Side bars are great for landing pages or is usually a great place to start when looking
final design of your navigation system. Some blogs that don’t require a lot of information. They to design a navigation system. Too many drop
websites do a great job at integrating their are also good for hot topics, forums, or breaking down menus can be frustrating, so it is important
navigation systems into tabs or widgets on news headlines that need to seamlessly pop up to balance out the different categories in an
the side of the website. Sometimes there are on the side of the screen instead of disturbing easy way so that users understand how the
combined aspects that surround the entire some other portion of the page. navigation system works.
page. It really comes down to the type of
website you are creating. A simple blog may Web stores also tend to have a lot of success Visitors are always looking for a friendly user
only require a few categories and tabs, while with navigation side bars, particularly because interface when visiting any particular type of
other forms of websites may require an in-depth it often allows users to see demonstrations of website. It doesn’t matter if it is a social media
dictionary style navigation system that carefully products without having to scroll to the page of website, a news website, or a sports website. The
separates each individual link. the product itself. This type of navigation system main goal is to create an effective design that
might be great for someone who is looking to allows users to seamlessly navigate on desktop
Navigation Layouts and Different open an e-commerce store or some other kind and mobile devices. This can be accomplished
Design Formats of personal blog. in many different ways as mentioned above, but
it is important to note that simplicity is usually
� Navigation Header Bar � UI Based Navigation better than overwhelming designs that are less
productive than they may originally seem.
The most common approach is a navigation Some websites have completely eliminated
bar that runs horizontally across the highest the standard template for navigation. A
layer of your website. This bar is the most popular video browsing social media site

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