Application level navigation
While working through the navigation structure for a redesign project last year a number of items stood out as being different from the others.
They could all be used to tell you about the state of certain areas of the site or allow you to make changes to the way you viewed the site.
I decided to see what would happen if they were separated off and grouped together. It worked really well. Users had a consistent area on the site where they knew updates would happen and preferences changed. It felt more like an application toolbar than a set of navigation items.
Interestingly at the same time facebook introduced the now familiar toolbar along the bottom of the site. It alerts you with new activity, tells you who’s online and let’s you set your application preferences.
There are other sites that could really benefit from this approach. eBay could introduce a toolbar that kept you informed of your selling, buying and account status – essentially pulling out My eBay and its functionality across the whole site.
I’d be really interested to know other people’s views and experiences of this. It’s something I’m planning to use more of in 2009.
About the author
Richard is a managing director at cxpartners. He works with brands to develop engaging user experiences for different devices, and loves creative problem solving. Richard does a lot of baking, and loves to make bread. Email Richard, or call +44 (0)117 946 3930
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