Creating a site that delivers a large amount of content is both a blessing and a curse. As an interface designer you must be careful not to overwhelm the layout and keep a clear path to help steer users to the information they are most interested in. Having a lot of content can be a good thing though. It gives you assets to keep the site interesting and creates that stickiness so people will repeat visit.
The interactive quality of the web is one of the main features that sets it apart from other mediums. Interaction means allowing the users to actively engage with the world you have created on your site, with text, images, sounds and animations. It can be everything from simple feedback when they move their mouse over a link, to a complex interactive story.
Animated Navigation
Back in the day (the late 90’s to be precise) it was quite easy for a web designer to get his audience salivating with a few simple mouseover effects on his menu items. A bit of JavaScript did the trick nicely!
Those hey days of early web sorcery are over since Flash stepped into the ring. Nowadays a wide variety of visual effects can be achieved by the means of the “timeline” and programmed transitions that can even include audio and video. Smart mathematics allow us to create complex navigational systems. There are hardly any technical boundaries. The only limitation is the web designer’s own imagination.
Horizontal Naigation
Navigation can singularly make or break a site. It is responsible for the success of the user’s interaction; if they enjoy using it they will keep coming back. If they don’t, you will never see them again. It should form the backbone to any content-rich site and the starting point for the organisation and architecture of your build.
Vertical Naigation
Being one of the most common and oldest navigation types on the Web, you might overlook the potential, effectiveness and impact of vertical navigation.
Redefined in the modern web vertical navigation is now accessible and super-sexy at the same time. If designed with the right shape, behaviour dynamics and filled with the right content, vertical navigation may result in a enhanced user interaction and user experience.
