Main navigation positioning on a web site - winds of change?
Leevi Kokko
just recently I've been sensing a slight change going on concerning the
positioning of main navigation on a web site. Some corporate as well as
few non-profit organisation web sites have been flipping their main
navigation horizontally from 'traditional' left-hand side to upper
right-hand side corner. Any clues why?
Naturally I'm aware of the fact that there has always been some sites
with navigation on the right-hand side, but the amount of sites doing
this seems to be growing. Or is it just me?
--
Leevi Kokko
Web Developer
Finland
Matti Vuori
news:DZmG8.88$O45....@read2.inet.fi:
I think it is just you. Of course there may be some fluctuating "mini
trends" going on in for example some small markets like Finland where
design companies try to match the competitors' ideas -- no matter how bad
they would be.
--
Matti Vuori, <http://sivut.koti.soon.fi/mvuori/index-e.htm>
Jenny Brien
<leevi...@REMOVETHIS.sonera.com> wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>just recently I've been sensing a slight change going on concerning the
>positioning of main navigation on a web site. Some corporate as well as
>few non-profit organisation web sites have been flipping their main
>navigation horizontally from 'traditional' left-hand side to upper
>right-hand side corner. Any clues why?
I only know why I did it. Mouse is on the right. Scroll bar is on the
right.
>
>
>
>
Jenny Brien
http://www.fig-uk.org
Home of the Fig UK website
Leevi Kokko
"Jenny Brien" <jen...@figuk.plus.com> wrote ...
> On Tue, 21 May 2002 07:48:51 GMT, "Leevi Kokko"
> <leevi...@REMOVETHIS.sonera.com> wrote:
>
> >Hi all,
> >
> >just recently I've been sensing a slight change going on concerning
the
> >positioning of main navigation on a web site. Some corporate as well
as
> >few non-profit organisation web sites have been flipping their main
> >navigation horizontally from 'traditional' left-hand side to upper
> >right-hand side corner. Any clues why?
>
> I only know why I did it. Mouse is on the right. Scroll bar is on the
> right.
That is exactly what I was thinking when looking at one site using
right-hand side navigation. Did you do it only because you 'felt like
it' or did you have some research data to support your decision?
Jenny Brien
<leevi...@REMOVETHIS.sonera.com> wrote:
>
>"Jenny Brien" <jen...@figuk.plus.com> wrote ...
>
>> On Tue, 21 May 2002 07:48:51 GMT, "Leevi Kokko"
>> <leevi...@REMOVETHIS.sonera.com> wrote:
>>
>> >Hi all,
>> >
>> >just recently I've been sensing a slight change going on concerning
>the
>> >positioning of main navigation on a web site. Some corporate as well
>as
>> >few non-profit organisation web sites have been flipping their main
>> >navigation horizontally from 'traditional' left-hand side to upper
>> >right-hand side corner. Any clues why?
>>
>> I only know why I did it. Mouse is on the right. Scroll bar is on the
>> right.
>
>That is exactly what I was thinking when looking at one site using
>right-hand side navigation. Did you do it only because you 'felt like
>it' or did you have some research data to support your decision?
>
No data, just a gut feeling. I think it was connected with the fact
that I'm left-handed, and found myself using computers where it wasn't
convenient to switch mouse buttons. Then I noticed more the action of
"moving across" from the scroll bar - which, BTW, wouldn't have been a
factor if I was using a wheel mouse.
I don't like frames, so I was thinking of Javascript nav box that
stayed in the same position when you scrolled. The obvious place to
put that was on the right-hand edge next the scroll bar, where it
wouldn't interfere with the start of paragraphs. Where Javascript
didn't work it looked like a box in the top right corner. Using that,
I quickly got into the habit of just grabbing the scroll bar and
pushing back to the top of the page whenever I wanted to go somewhere
new. No problem on my relatively simple pages, and it avoids one more
entry in the back history.
It might be interesting to collect figures on how many people would
navigate in this fashion. I suspect that left-hand navigation would
favour the use of the Back button instead, since that tends to be in
the top left corner. Maybe people are becoming more accustomed to
using a keystroke to go Back?
A post-facto thought on left vs right. Left navigation shows where
you are in relation to where you've been (Metaphor - Explorer Bar).
Right navigation shows wher you can go from where you are (Metaphor
Thumb index).
Michael Valentiner=Branth
> I only know why I did it. Mouse is on the right. Scroll bar is on the
> right.
>
But we usually read from left to right, and/or from top to bottom.
Therefore IMHO it makes sense to put the navigation (as the top
structure element) to the left or top.
To have this order, when visiting a site:
- select the page you want to read on the left
- read in the center
- scroll within the page on the right
Michael
--
The system-user is concerned with operational effectiveness, not with
the designer's problems of creating the system. (W.E.Woodson)