There is a gap between how web designers and most users think. And that gap is what makes many websites difficult to navigate and use. A recent study by psychologists at Kansas State University revealed just how wide the gap is.

In the study, surfers were asked to look through a website and then draw a diagram of how the site was organized. Most of the resulting drawings were inaccurate, grouping together similar bits of information rather than reflecting the real layout of the site. The study revealed a distinct difference in how designers and users think. Evidently, most website visitors want information to be organized by categories, while designers often organize sites by individual pages. According to psychologist Keith Jones, who led the team of researchers, designers should organize information on websites in categories that are obvious to users.

I agree with Keith Jones. In my own experience, grouping pages into themed categories makes the navigation of a website seem more intuitive to the user. Why? Well, when you are having a conversation, you verbally categorize information into overall themes or topics. We rarely jump from one thought to a completely unrelated thought. The first few comments made about a subject is general, or broad. As the conversation progresses or deepens, the details are revealed, peeled back layer by layer.

Navigation menus in websites should be like a good conversation. The navigation menu starts with a few broad overall themes. Next, sub-themes or topics are categorized under each main theme. Within those sub-themes, relevant individual pages are then listed. In this way, a website has the intuitive characteristics of good conversation.

Why is it that so few web designers think this way? Well, too often we designers stop thinking of ourselves as communicators first. We tend to focus solely on the artistic merits of our work. However, most users are not visiting business websites for art, but information. The skill we exercise in making design a communication tool can make the search for information much easier and useful. That communicative quality of good web design is subtle and not easily explained by users. But they greatly appreciate it when they find it. And that appreciation can often result in turning browsers into customers. So designers, think like users! Its good for business!

Newark1 Web Design Guide