Usability - dual/dynamic breadcrumbs?

[Woz]

I am building a directory that automatically creates breadcrumbs based on the parent category. However, categories can also be related to another branch, for example (off the topof my head) woodworking is a subcat of carpentry but is also related to crafts. You get the idea.

So if the user is in the crafts category and goes to woodworking, the breadcrumbs change dramatically to now represent the carpentry branch instead of the crafts branch, which is standard practice in directories such as Dmoz and Yahoo.

I am thinking of options to vary the breadcrumbs in these cases.

Option one) is to create dual breadcrumbs which would show the pather down to woodworking vie carpentry in one and via crafts in the other. I limit each category to one parent and one related so there would only ever be two breadcrumb trails per category.

Would this be confusing? As a savvy WebmasterWorld member would you find it confusing or helpful, and do you thing the average Joe Blow would find it confusing?

Option two) would be to created the breadcrumbs based on the referrer which would mean that woodworking would normally be /carpentry/woodworking unless accessed via crafts in which case the trail would be crafts/woodworking. Better? Still confusing?

Not sure myself so I thought I would invite opinions.

Onya
Woz

[james gulliver]

Onya

Option two sounds the best to me.

Bread crumbs are supposed to show the visitor where he is and how he got there.(see Hansel & Gretal)bit confusing with both.

on second thoughts...

Can you have both showing with the route taken in red and the others available in light grey?

drawback is you cant have a single tidy line of breadcrumbs.

the other question is doyou want your visitors who have accessed the wood working page through crafts to visit the other carpentry page?

[korkus2000]

I am not sure. I think both could be confusing. I don't like the problem you are trying to fix. It is easy to get lost with the current directory standard. I think if I were to pick 1 of your options I would pick 2.

[Marketing Guy]

Perhaps have the route they took to get there promintently at the top and related sections at the bottom?

Scott

[vitaplease]

Woz,

good idea, been looking for some javascript for a dynamic breadcrumb for a while, any stickies would be very welcome.

Dynamic one on top.

Structural one on the bottom?

[WibbleWobble]

Perhaps have the route they took to get there promintently at the top and related sections at the bottom?

This sounds like the best solution to me. It provides the best usability options in my opinion, though you could probably have related sections in a box to the right of the directory rather than at the bottom, where you're not guaranteed to see it in a typical directory layout.

[bill]

Woz, I like the idea of dual or multiple breadcrumbs. It sounds very much like the way Google will display relevant DMOZ categories at the top of their SERPs. I think may would find it helpful having the option to see other potentially relevant breadcrumb trails.

[lorax]

Woz,
I'm a minimalist at heart and I'd opt for the simpler of the two. If I change categories, I'd know it in my mind and that's all I'd need. Now if the audience is a non-web savvy woodworker who mistakenly jumped to the crafts thread from woodworking it might help but I have my doubts about that. Gut instinct says to KISS it.