NAVIGATION User Interface Design A user interface is the layer of interaction by which we are able to communicate with a computer, website, application, or other type of technology. The design of a user interface focuses on the expectation of a user's experience--attempting to facilitate interaction that is clearly understood and efficient in allowing the user to accomplish his or her goals. We often hear reference to a graphical user interface (GUI), which utilizes icons and other visual references in order to help one interact with and navigate a computer system, application, or website. The "desktop" metaphor used by almost all personal computers is a great example of a GUI--it allows people to more easily interact with the computer through familiar objects such as folders and task-specific icons. Obviously, the design and application of navigation within your website design is important; it will be the primary "interface" by which someone will use your website. You can think of interface design as encompassing information design, interaction design, and some forms of sensorial design (mostly visual and auditory design, since most computers can only display sights and sounds). Typically interface designers have addressed the layout of screens, the design of screen elements like icons, and the flow among them. 2 ­ NATHAN SHEDROFF, Author, Experience Design Navigation Well ­thought out navigation is key to any good website design. In many cases it's even the focus of the design itself. Navigation can range from fun and playful to practical and efficient. The best navigational solutions reference the design concept and are intuitive to use. It 's important that navigation be visually distinguished from other elements on the page in terms of style and placement in the composition. It should be clear from the start how users can get to content that they are looking for. Rollovers and hover effects can also be quite useful, not only to indicate that something is "active," but also as a means to provide additional navigational information. Navigation can take many forms: graphical buttons, hypertext links, CSS buttons, Flash animations, dropdown menus, icons, and so on. Whatever the style, navigation provides users with a sense of orientation within the website--where they are and where they can go. So it's important that at least the global navigation (main sections) of a website remain consistent. Make sure to design multiple "states" for your links and buttons. Once a user clicks on a link or button and goes to a new web page, that link or button should look different. This helps provide a visual cue to the user that he or she is now at a corresponding page within the website. Keep in mind that you don't have to make your navigation too big--big, huge "buttons" on a web page look clumsy and unattractive. In addition, think about issues of growth and scalability. If you intend for your work to expand into other directions at some point, you may need to plan your design accordingly so that additional navigation can be added without much hassle. 174 NO PLASTIC SLEEVES