Dijck, Peter van (5 links)
Items by Dijck, Peter van.
Review of the NN-group World Tour
http://www.evolt.org/article/R ... e_NN_group_World_Tour/12/4076/
Destination: evolt.org (13)
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December 10, 2000
Getting Started with Usability Testing
http://www.evolt.org/article/G ... h_Usability_Testing/4090/1604/
Topic:
User Testing (17)
Destination: evolt.org (13)
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April 7, 2000
A Sitemap on Every Page
http://www.webword.com/reports/sitemap.html
Usage stats from a small site with a site map at the bottom of every page.
65% is the number for usage of the site map. The stats are from Peter Van Dijck, while the report is from WebWord.com.
I have used the site-map-on-every-page successfully as well. It works when the site is small enough (< 30 pages), it is already well-organized (ie, the structure that the site map represents makes sense), and when people may indeed need to jump around a bit (not a tour or an ordering process).
Buit I think it is most effective when the site represents a core set of knowledge that people want to cover most of, but may want to do it in their own way. The site map on every page lets users see (by the color of the links) what they have already read and what they have yet to visit. The site map is in essence a checklist of content at the site and the color of the site map tells them how far they are in reading it all.
And in these cases, the overall strucutre of the site should be the most logical path through the information. Thus the site map conveys one good way to cover the material, yet readers are free to deviate.
Topic:
Supplemental Navigation (7)
Destination: WebWord (25)
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February 24, 2000
Sitemaps: map the user's experience
http://evolt.org/article/evolt/4090/713/
Destination: evolt.org (13)
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January 23, 2000
The problem(s) with sitemaps
http://www.evolt.org/article/evolt/4090/710/
Sitemaps should provide an overview and give direct access.
Peter van Dijck says that sitemaps are hard to do well because they should both provide direct access to specific pieces of content, plus help users see what else is available.
I would add a third: help users understand the information architecture of the site by providing a high level view of everything. Even if users only read the sitemap and never navigate with it, they can still benefit if it helps them grasp the architecture and be less likely to get lost.
From evolt.org, January 20, 2000. Includes comments at the bottom.
Topic:
Supplemental Navigation (7)
Destination: evolt.org (13)
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January 22, 2000
