SIGIA-L Mail Archives: SIGIA-L: inverted L continued
SIGIA-L: inverted L continued
From: McElhinney, Kathleen (kmcelhinney_at_logicon.com)
Date: Thu Nov 09 2000 - 12:25:45 EST
Hello All.
I am a long-time lurker on this list. As one relatively new to IA, I have
been using the listserv as a way to learn about the field. As an
Information Specialist in a corporate Information Center, I use the web a
lot more than designing for it. I would like to continue the discussion of
the inverted L in navigation. My comments will be more from a user
perspective than a design perspective.
When the inverted L first appeared, I really liked it. It was nice to be
able to find navigation in the same place, no matter what site I was one. I
quickly trained myself to avoid the left column unless I was looking for
navigation. I also learned to avoid the top because of the moving ads (they
give me a headache). But recently, I've come to prefer top only navigation.
Using a vertical column for navigation takes away more room from content
than having navigation across the top. In text heavy sites, this can lead
to longer pages and/or more clicks. In short, more work for the user to
read the content.
A site using top only navigation is quokka sports' BTChallenge site at
http://www.btchallenge.com/ <http://www.btchallenge.com/>
The top level navigation appears in one line across the top. On mouseover,
a second level of index appears that allows one to go quickly to the desired
subsection. This site has many repeat users (race results are updated every
6 hours), so site designers could assume that their users would be willing
to take a small amount of time to learn the site's navigation and then
remember it for the next time. This design may not be applicable to all
situations, but it allows much more room for content than their previous
design, where the same information was down the left-side. An added bonus
is that as a frequent site visitor, I almost never have to scroll down to
find the link to the content I want.
Top navigation also allows the site to avoid falling into a left or right
bias. Since English is read left to right, it is natural to start at the
left for guidance. It seems strange for me to see navigation information on
the right. For those whose first language is not read left to right, the
reverse may be true. If you are designing a site for users whose first
language is not all read in the same direction, top navigation allows you to
avoid the problem altogether.
Contrast the above site with the English version of the race results site
for Vendee Globe at: http://www.Vendeeglobe.com/home.asp?lang=us
<http://www.vendeeglobe.com/home.asp?lang=us>
I have problems finding anything in this site. And the worst part is they
don't allow the size to be relative to your monitor, so half my large screen
is blank!!
Kathleen McElhinney
Information Specialist
Logicon Advanced Technology
San Pedro, CA
kmcelhinney_at_logicon.com
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