CHAPTER 4 Application Main Page 106 requires effort on the users ’ part. Therefore, if it’s possible to infer their needs and content can be personalized — for example, based on information provided by them — consider complementing customization with PERSONALIZATION approaches. BLANK SLATE Problem Many web applications start out empty because they rely on users to pro- vide data (e.g., a defect-tracking application, online calendar, to-do list, etc.). Although the application pages will fi ll up eventually, the fi rst time users access the application (or a new functionality within the application) they’ll see an empty page — a “ blank slate. ” They may be confused as to what to do next and may get an impression that the application is not working as desired when they see a page without content. Solution On the blank-slate page, answer questions that fi rst-time users would have such as how to get started, what to do next, and what will the page look like when fi lled in with data (37signals, 2006). This can be accomplished by explaining to users the best ways to get started via tutorials and help texts and/or show a typical screenshot of the page fi lled with content ( Figure 4.32 ). Why Any guidance that can be offered to users during their initial interaction with a web application makes them feel comfortable with the application and helps them get started quickly. In addition, when faced with an empty page, users may fi nd it diffi cult to determine scope and the extent of functionality offered by the web application, thus limiting the degree to which they are able to inter- act with the application. Having a blank-slate page serves several purposes for users: it sets appropriate expectations, encourages taking action, familiarizes them with what the page will eventually look like, and creates a positive fi rst impression of the applica- tion (Hoekman, 2008; 37signals, 2006). How An important design feature of an effective blank-slate page is one or more prominently displayed action(s) that would remove the blank slate and get users familiar with the application ( Figure 4.33 ). The actions may be accompanied by messages informing users why they are not seeing any content. For example, Basecamp uses messages such as “ Create the fi rst writeboard for this project ” with “ fi rst ” implying that users have not created a writeboard ( Figure 4.34 ). 107 OFFER USERS RELEVANT TUTORIALS OR DEMOS Make users understand the steps involved in using a web application or a piece of functionality by offering them tutorials or demos (see Figure 4.34 ). Make them targeted and short in duration so that users can start using the application quickly. Blank Slate FIGURE 4.32 Blinksale, an invoice management application, provides a brief explanation of the dashboard and shows an example dashboard page demonstrating to users what the dashboard will look like when fi lled in. FIGURE 4.33 On its blank-slate page, Box.net offers users several options (e.g., create a new folder, create a new collaboration folder) to get started. It also offers an option to “ Watch video demo. ” CHAPTER 4 Application Main Page 108 FIGURE 4.34 Basecamp shows the message “ Create the fi rst writeboard for this project ” to indicate that users haven’t created any writeboards. It also shows what a writeboard looks like and offers users a video demo (approximately 2 minutes) to learn more about writeboards. FIGURE 4.35 Blinksale uses both the “ Example ” watermark and dims the screenshot on the blank-slate page. 109 SHOW USERS AN EXAMPLE SCREENSHOT Set clear expectations of what the page will look like when fi lled by showing a screenshot with sample content. Make it clear to users that they are not seeing real data by inserting watermarks, such as “ Sample data ” or “ Example, ” or dim the screenshot to make it recede into the background ( Figure 4.35 ). ASSIST USERS IN THE INITIAL SETUP If there are certain tasks users must do before they can use the web application, offer options to guide them through the initial setup process. For example, for a fi nancial application, users can be offered to set up accounts ( Figure 4.36 ). Related design patterns BLANK SLATE offers necessary guidance to new users of the application so that they can become productive with the application quickly. The need for assisting users does not completely go away after they have interacted with the applica- tion and fi lled it with data. It’s important to continue assisting users throughout their interaction with the application using CONTEXTUAL HELP, FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS, and APPLICATION HELP (see the Web Help Appendix at www.elsevierdirect.com/9780123742650 and the INPUT HINTS/PROMPTS pattern in Chapter 2). Blank Slate FIGURE 4.36 Mint offers users help with initial account setup. They show the page without content dimmed with some sample data to give users a general idea of what the “ Account ” page will eventually look like. This page intentionally left blank 111 INTRODUCTION Designing navigation is about establishing relationships between various applica- tion parts (i.e., content and functionality) and conveying their importance and hierarchy to effi ciently and effectively facilitate completion of user tasks. This includes organization, labeling, and presentation of content and functionality. This chapter focuses on patterns related to the types of navigation systems and their presentation; to learn about the organization and labeling of navigation sys- tems, see Morville and Rosenfeld (2006), Kalbach (2007), and Fleming (1998). Most web applications are organized hierarchically and thus allow users access to its content and functionality using levels of navigation. At the highest level, PRIMARY NAVIGATION, or global navigation , shows top-level categories or groupings that users can access from anywhere within the application. By mak- ing it available throughout the application, it also helps orient users within the application. SECONDARY NAVIGATION, or local navigation , shows users sec- ond and subsequent levels of navigation options for the selected primary nav- igation option. In addition to primary and secondary navigations, users also need a quick way to access a few key functions (e.g., login, logout, language selector, etc.) and content (e.g., help, cart, account, etc.). Like primary naviga- tion, these key functions and content areas need to be made available through- out the application (UTILITY NAVIGATION). Although primary and secondary navigation are useful in supporting an appli- cation’s hierarchical structure, content in many applications is multidimen- sional and does not afford a unique hierarchical navigation scheme. FACETED NAVIGATION has emerged as an effective approach to allow maximum fl ex- ibility and support a variety of tasks by offering the ability to navigate using multiple attributes and not restricting users to only one (e.g., a facet) with which to start navigation. In addition to the hierarchical navigation approaches, users also benefi t from nonhierarchical ways to access information using indexes, related items lists, rec- ommendations, and so forth (SUPPLEMENTAL NAVIGATION). Supplemental Navigation CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 5 Navigation 112 navigation systems are intended not only as alternative ways of accessing content but also to encourage exploration. More recent applications, especially those that rely on user-generated and user-contributed content, allow users to discover new content by offering a navigation approach based on folkson- omies — a structure derived from user-provided labels describing application content (TAG CLOUDS). Another important function of navigation is that of orienting users and letting them know where they are within the application. Support for orientation is usually provided by location trails, commonly referred to as BREADCRUMBS. While most application navigation is intended to get users to their desired content or function, there are instances where navigation is used to help users accomplish tasks by guiding them one step at a time (WIZARDS). This is par- ticularly the case for infrequent, yet important, multistep tasks that have depen- dencies that users may be unfamiliar with. PRIMARY NAVIGATION Problem The most common functionality and high-level categories (or objects) within web applications need to be readily available and understood by users. Additionally, users should be able to navigate quickly among major sections from anywhere within the web application. Solution Offer users a consistent way to navigate to main application functions and place them in a consistent and salient manner on all application pages ( Figure 5.1 ). Why For web applications, primary navigation plays a crucial role in facilitating navigation and orientation. It serves as both a table of contents by exposing high-level application functions and an orientation mechanism that lets users know where they are within the application’s structure (see also the BREADCRUMBS pattern later in this chapter). FIGURE 5.1 LinkedIn uses a tab-based approach that allows users access to important application features and functionalities. 113 How Place primary navigation either horizontally at the top of the page or verti- cally running down the page, either on the left or right side. Web applications have typically favored placing primary navigation horizontally ( Figure 5.2 ); Adkisson (2002) found that 87 percent (65 of 73 sites) of e-commerce appli- cations placed the primary navigation horizontally at the top of the page. This is understandable, since placing primary navigation vertically reduces avail- able horizontal space. For web applications presenting tabular data with many columns, vertical placement of primary navigation could result in horizontal scrolling or make tabular data appear cluttered. Placing primary navigation horizontally, however, limits the number of naviga- tion options it can offer users before requiring them to scroll horizontally. To avoid horizontal scrolling, web applications often resort to having a “ more ” option (usually depicted as an arrow icon) to allow users to see additional nav- igation choices ( Figure 5.3 ); this is similar to toolbars in desktop applications Primary Navigation FIGURE 5.2 Rally places primary navigation horizontally to accommodate tabular data that has several columns. FIGURE 5.3 SalesForce uses an arrow tab that allows users access to additional primary navigation options that could not be accommodated horizontally. CHAPTER 5 Navigation 114 such as Microsoft Word, Firefox, and others. Table 5.1 summarizes the benefi ts and limitations of horizontal and vertical placement of primary navigation. Regardless of the placement of primary navigation, it is important that it be positioned consistently and made available throughout the application. MAKE PRIMARY NAVIGATION VISUALLY SALIENT Because users rely on primary navigation to access the main functionality of the web application, make it salient and clearly differentiated from the page content ( Figure 5.4 ). HIGHLIGHT THE SELECTED NAVIGATION OPTION Highlight the selected navigation option to let users know where they are within the application. This can be accomplished by visually distinguishing the selected navigation option from others by varying its font, background, color, and/or border ( Figure 5.5 ). Table 5.1 Benefi ts and Limitations of Horizontal and Vertical Placement of Primary Navigation Horizontal Placement Vertical Placement Benefi ts Allows more horizontal space for content. Benefi cial if the web application requires showing tabular data with several columns. Is easier to scale. Can easily accommodate 10 – 15 menu options without requiring users to scroll on monitors with 1024 ϫ 768 resolution. Allows multiple levels of navigation options as a hierarchical structure. Limitations Diffi cult to scale. Cannot typically accommodate more than 8 – 10 navigation options on monitors with 1024 ϫ 768 resolution. If multiple navigation levels are desired and shown as cascading levels, horizontal navigation breaks down beyond two to three levels. Also, with multiple cascading levels, content gets pushed down. Requires horizontal space limiting the space available for application content. Table 5.1 115 REMOVE PRIMARY NAVIGATION FOR TASKS WITH SELF-CONTAINED NAVIGATION Typically, primary navigation should be placed in and made available con- sistently throughout the application. However, for multistep tasks with their self-contained navigation (e.g., wizard-based), to minimize distractions or to prevent data loss (e.g., checkout, initial setup, or registration) primary naviga- tion may be removed ( Figure 5.6 ). Because wizardlike tasks are often supported by their own navigation, removing primary navigation also avoids potential confusion among multiple navigation mechanisms (see the WIZARDS pattern later in this chapter). ESTABLISH A CORRECT INFORMATION “ SCENT ” THROUGH EFFECTIVE LABELING Primary navigation labels are very important for establishing a correct informa- tion “ scent ” for the application. The notion of an information “ scent ” is based on the information foraging theory , which explains mechanisms used by people when searching for information (Chi et al., 2000; Pirolli and Card, 1999). This Primary Navigation FIGURE 5.4 Plaxo uses global navigation that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the page. FIGURE 5.5 Backpack makes the selected option appear like a tab to visually distinguish it from other navigation options. [...]... option Secondary Navigation Related design patterns Most web applications support hierarchical navigation, requiring both primary navigation and SECONDARY NAVIGATION For deeper navigation hierarchies, consider using BREADCRUMBS to orient users and show them where they are in the application SECONDARY NAVIGATION Problem Users need a way to access navigation options in the application s hierarchy at levels... in most web applications is designed to support its hierarchical structure,2 which is typically two to three levels deep Secondary navigation complements primary navigation and makes it easy for users to navigate the application s structure at levels below the primary navigation Although secondary navigation options change based on the selected primary navigation, their placement within the application. .. NAVIGATION TO ALLOW SWITCHING AMONG WORKSPACES OR APPLICATIONS Web applications that allow users to create and access multiple workspaces— for example, multiple projects—often use a utility navigation to allow them to switch between workspaces (Figure 5.13) Similarly, application suites, such as those offered by Google and Zoho, allow users to switch among applications using utility navigation (Figure... it’s important to remember they neither replace an application s navigation structure as instantiated by primary and secondary navigation nor minimize the impact of poorly designed information architecture (Morville and Rosenfeld, 2006) How Following are a few ways to incorporate supplemental navigation in web applications and provide direct access to application content or functionality Supplementary... text-size selections, and so forth, on all application pages Although they are key functions and need to be accessed from anywhere in the application, they are typically not used frequently Solution Group such functions and tools (i.e., utilities) and allow users access to them from all pages within the application Because they need to be accessible from anywhere in the application, place them in the header... hierarchical navigation structure, incorporating BREADCRUMBS may help users understand where they are in the application structure TAG CLOUDS are also another form of supplemental navigation and should be considered for applications that rely on user-contributed content TAG CLOUDS Problem Web applications that allow access to user-generated or user-contributed content, such as photos, videos, music,... impression about the “tagger,” the person doing the tagging In applications where users’ tasks may vary, it may be useful to allow users to organize tags several different ways (Figure 5.28) Related design patterns Because of the associative nature of navigation, TAG CLOUDS should not be used as the only means of navigation within web applications They should supplement PRIMARY NAVIGATION and SECONDARY... PRIMARY AND SECONDARY NAVIGATION OPTIONS To orient users with the application, highlight the currently selected navigation option, both primary and secondary, in some way, such as by a combination of font size and weight, foreground and background colors, and border size and colors (see Figure 5.10) Related design patterns Because an application s hierarchical structure is made accessible through its... applications using utility navigation (Figure 5.14) INCLUDE A LANGUAGE SELECTOR IN UTILITY NAVIGATION Web applications supporting multiple languages usually include options to change the language (or the country) as a utility navigation option (Figure 5.15; see also the LANGUAGE SELECTOR pattern in Chapter 10) Related design patterns Utility navigation options discussed here are “global” in nature (e.g., they... SUPPLEMENTARY NAVIGATION Problem Although PRIMARY and SECONDARY NAVIGATION provide an effective way to navigate the application s hierarchy, they do not provide adequate means for users to discover new content or encourage exploration This may result in both poor utilization of a web application s functionality and fewer transactions (e.g., purchases, downloads, quotes, and so forth) Solution Offer . BLANK SLATE Problem Many web applications start out empty because they rely on users to pro- vide data (e.g., a defect-tracking application, online calendar,. etc.). Although the application pages will fi ll up eventually, the fi rst time users access the application (or a new functionality within the application) they’ll