Questions to focus on: Site Navigation

These questions can be used at different levels. You can take 30 seconds to think about one or two. You can discuss them in a team or group of like-minded Christians. Or they can be used in a college class, including assignments and research projects, and answered in writing at any depth. They may be freely reproduced for this purpose. Please email us additional questions that could be added to this page.
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  1. Why is usability testing so important? Why is it so infrequently done by webmasters?
  2. How should webmasters test their navigation systems with users?
  3. What are the three golden rules of good navigation design?
  4. How important is a 'you are here' message within a navigation system?
  5. View some sites with DHTML drop-down/popout menus. How do these help the user?
  6. Frames have many disadvantages and are increasingly not used. However, the one key option that they offer is a left-hand navigation menu that is always visible, however long the page. Before long, CSS will allow the same effect within a standard web-page. Do you think this will be a valuable feature?
  7. Find a site which has a large number of menu choices within the navigation bar. To what extent is the high level of choice confusing? Is it better when the menu is broken up visually into separate subject areas?