I had planned for Chiselworks' website to be easily navigated and content found where the user will expect it. Using Webnode assists in this:
- It locates some page functions in commonly expected places. For instance the logo and link to the home page is placed in the upper left, and the search facility in the upper right corner. The main menu is at the top of the page.
- It automatically provides a "breadcrumbs" trail to allow the user to retrace her/his steps.
- Once I had planned the structure and allocated the content into broad categories it was easy to construct the site's pages and sub-pages. Webnode provides flexibility to re-allocate sub-pages to main pages, change page level in the hierarchy and sequence. It also keeps a repository of discarded content, just in case it is needed again. The latter function has a small drawback as redundant content can still be found through the search facility.
However, I came up against some difficulties:
- None of the templates provide for a local sub-menu as I had planned.
- The breadcrumb trail does not show the way the user gets to items that are organised in lists, like the members' individual pages. For instance on Lula's page the user finds this breadcrumb trail:
Home >
though, given the navigation structure, it should be
Home > Current members > Members' pages > Lula Remax
This makes it more difficult for the user to retrace her/his steps.
- Another problem with list items is this: The Site map does not show them; therefore individual members' pages, such as Lula's, cannot be found through looking at there. But I preferred organising the members' pages in a list, rather than making each page a sub-page of the Current members' page. This is because, with up to 25 members creating a page for each would have meant having a page with 25 sub pages - not easily navigated.
- The Widgets that I inserted (Google map. Journey planner and RSS feed) at first would take Chiselworks' website visitors straight through to the originating websites. This would have made them leave Chilselworks' site, which I wanted to avoid. I managed to change the code, so these links now open in new tabs.
To improve navigation and assist the user I devised several strategies:
- Where a page had one or more sub-pages I used the introduction panel (on the upper right, next to the main picture) as a means to provide links from the main page to the sub-page and inserted a reverse link from the sub page to the main page. This, I thought, would be an adequate substitute for the local sub-menu that I had planned. I also used this panel to summarise the content of the page. This gives the user an indication of what the page is about, without having to scroll down to the main content. The exception is the Home page that shos a picture of Chiselworks' interior instead.
- In the text of each page I inserted links to other relevant pages.
- In the Members' pages, a tag-cloud, as well as links to each member, assist the user in searching and browsing for members and their products or services.
- Where possible I made external links open in new tabs, rather than take away visitors from Chiselworks' website.
- I edited the 404 Page not found page to include a link to the Site map, Search, and Home pages.
- The functions of the Site map and Search page are to assist users to find specific content, For the users' convenience I provided links between them.