Dropping traditional navigation

Losing the top navigation bar and side bars

[Nick_W]

Hi all,

I'm working on a site where I have completey discarded the normal navigation in favour of breadcrumbs only

There are 3 sections to the site so the users will have to go back to the home page to get into another section once they are deep inside anther.

So two typical breadcrumb routes would look like this:

• Widgets home > blue widgets > blue fuzzy widgets
  
• Widgets home > green widgets > green fuzzy widgets
  

So if you are on the first page you would have to follow widgets home to get to any the green ones.

I see some problems with this approach but think the value of controlling google PR and making the site exceptional clean and simple outweigh them...

Your thoughts?

Nick

[v_1_c]

If you are offering only 'bread crumbs' as navigation , how will people see the different sections of the site ? Im assuming the front page will have various links to the different sections in order to decide where to go . This will result in you breaking the design , one minute list of links to different sections of site , the next only one way to go .

Personally I prefer the ability to get anywhere on the site from any page on the site . Why should I have to run back and forth because you want a clean simple system ?

Just a thought .

v1c

[Nick_W]

Yes, I may have to add the 3 'sections' but my thinking is that if someone comes in looking for 'green fuzzy widgets' then they'll be presented with a choice of items and buy one.

To many choices -> no sale.

Although I completely see your point and will experiment once the site is getting traffic... after all, just because you want a 'green widget' doesn't mean you won't be intersetd in a 'blue widget'....

Nick

[v_1_c]

Got any multi-coloured widgets ? :)

v1c

[rcjordan]

I don't like breadcrumbs, but I'm in complete agreement with the idea of reinforcing the paths you want the visitor to take at the expense of traditional navigation. While it may take more time to construct than, say, a drop-down menu, I've found that "comment" links to related pages do well for humans and are bot-friendly as well. (example from the blue widget page: Thinking about green fuzzy widgets, too? Click here.)

Also, by going with non-traditional navigation you create the perfect reason to have a secondary directory of the site linked to each page (which does double duty as a bot hallway).

[Nick_W]

Also, by going with non-traditional navigation you create the perfect reason to have a secondary directory of the site linked to each page (which does double duty as a bot hallway).

Do you mean like a sitemap?

Nick

[rcjordan]

>you mean like a sitemap?

At the least, though sitemaps often lose an opportunity to really pump up the keywords and anchor text. I have one site that uses a huge bulleted list featuring the titles of each page. (Can't find it? Click here for the BIG list.) Or you could have an ODP-like directory that allows for more descriptive text as well as the link/anchor.

[Nick_W]

Damn fine idea ;)

I'll go with the bulleted list for each section of the site....

Nick

[brotherhood of LAN]

Anyone still use the "you are here" sorta thing?

Home > Conveniently Themed Subject > This Page?

[fluxcapacitor]

Anyone still use the "you are here" sorta thing?

Home > Conveniently Themed Subject > This Page?

Dmoz uses that... (if that's what you meant)

(I use the traditional top menu bar and a drop down menu. I prefer to use traditional navigation because if people are used to it, they'll know how to use it.)

[Birdman]

I like you are here: You Always > Know Where > you are? ;)
I do use it, for real. I like Nick_w's idea, too. Isn't it a proven fack that people follow text links before navs. Maybe not, but I thought I heard that. I, myself, am not bold enough to try it, but it should work if the copy is written well.

Birdman

[rewboss]

I think it depends on a lot of things. dmoz is a directory, so using breadcrumbs by way of navigation is a very logical and efficient way of doing it. Whether it is appopriate for a commercial website is a different question altogether.

One disadvantage is that using breadcrumbs to navigate gives visitors a distinct feeling of "backing out and starting again". That might be the reality of a more traditional navbar approach, but subjectively it doesn't feel that way quite so strongly. A navbar, in which the main areas of the site are listed and visible all the time (and perhaps some subareas, too), can give the impression of progressing through a site.

As far as your widgets are concerned, if I am only likely to buy one widget every now and again (like, say, a car or an engagement ring), a sense of progressing through the selection and buying process might be very appropriate, so breadcrumbs would be eminently suitable. The process would look like this:

1. Choose colour
2. Choose texture
3. Choose size
4. Choose shape
5. Enter billing details
6. Check order
7. Submit order

But if a widget is something small that I might buy dozens of in one go, that approach will be laborious. I might have ordered 4 red, fuzzy, size 3 round widgets; now I want to order 4 blue, fuzzy, size 3 round widgets as well. This would involve going right back to the beginning and going through the whole process again.

[lawman]

I don't do that kind of online marketing, but I do buy a lot online. What I like is the sort of defacto standardization among online retailers. When most sites use similar procedures to get me to the check-out, I feel more comfortable than if I had to learn a 'special' type of navigation.

I suppose what I'm saying, if its working for them, use the type of navigation that related sites are using.

lawman

[brotherhood of LAN]

Dmoz uses that... (if that's what you meant)

WebmasterWorld uses it too, and welcome to it btw fluxcapacitor ;)

It's maybe not convenient for a 10 page site selling widgets IMHO but maybe good for SE's, a theme to the products being sold and a quickfire uniform way of return visitors knowing where they are :)

[Nick_W]

I see you've all been busy whilst I've been in bed ;)

Just to clarify: The breadcrumbs are beneath the top page title (no graphics, but that's another story) with plenty of white space between them and the products shown on the page.

They're also 1em bold traditional link blue so you really can't miss them.

I like rewboss's explanation of 'backtracking', a very good point that I'd not considered. I'm not going to weaken though ;) I'm going to try it, and after two weeks of traffic I'll chuck a nav bar in and see what happens!

I'm very keen on the 'limited choice' aspect of this. All the widgets are displayed on the page with a link to the larger pic and details so you should be able to make a selection in fairly short order...

Nick