Comments on: Just nav, that’s all

By: hroenicke

hroenicke — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:27:21 +0000

Anyone have insights into usability testing or conducted focus groups with faculty/ staff on their preferences for navigation? We’re about to start the process, but any “lessons learned” would be appreciated.

By: W&M Web Team » eduStyle - a recommended gallery and blog and a BIG surprise

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:24:30 +0000

[...] eduStyle is a web design gallery dedicated to higher education websites – I am a regular reader of the accompanying blog. Today, when I clicked through to the blog, I grinned. Because there, front and center, was the W&M global navigation. Check out the W&M navigation in all its glory! [...]

By: Stewart

Stewart — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:30:46 +0000

That is really interesting @jillgee, It sounds like what I’ve been hearing over the last few years about the “prospective student” link. Having users have to learn to use higher-ed websites is not ideal, but it seems based on your testing that at least by being us being relatively consistent across the industry the seniors seem to be learning how to navigate university sites. I wonder if others have found the same thing.

By: jillgee

jillgee — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:02:25 +0000

In recent usability testing of several college Web sites with high school juniors, I was surprised to find that they did not think to go to the “Admission” section to find information, although this is the place most of us put our content for prospective students. More often than not, they chose the “About” section. We then tested seniors, and they had “learned” how to navigate college Web sites, so knew that “Admission” was the place to look.

By: Dustin Mazon

Dustin Mazon — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:11:07 +0000

I truly feel that the navigation and site structure are the most important elements in making a site that is user friendly. That is a very interesting point that Stewart made about the audience navigation. At WVU it is the audience nav acts as the primary nav. http://www.wvu.edu

By: Stewart

Stewart — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:56:22 +0000

I also thought it was worth noting that in all cases the audience based navigation was not the primary navigation scheme. It hung on as secondary in many cases, but it was typically de-emphasized.

By: rileywills

rileywills — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:23:34 +0000

Very fascinating in the usage of all CAPS for navigation items as well as the verbiage/structure used to represent the mighty academics, admissions of a university.