ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ

Web Communication

Enrollment Management and Marketing

3.9 - Navigation

Policy

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ will use consistent, meaningful, task-based navigation across its websites. Consistent navigation makes it easier for visitors to get to the information they need.

Standard

General Requirements

    • Limit the number of navigation items to no more than seven (7). Visitors only keep up to seven items in short-term memory and will generally ignore items beyond that number.
    • The main navigation does not have to include a link to every single page on the site. In fact, for a large site (50+ pages), it certainly should not. It is appropriate to have submenus on inside pages with links to deeper child pages or links within the text.
    • A "Contact Us" link must be last link in the left navigation or the far right link in the horizontal nav.
    • A "Home" link is optional and typically discouraged.
    • The first item in the navigation should be the most popular page on your site, excluding the homepage.

College site requirements

    • “Degrees” or “Degrees and Programs”
    • “Areas of Study” or “Departments”
    • “Contact Us” – last link in left navigation or last link at far right of horizontal navigation
    • Whether your site uses horizontal or vertical navigation, "ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ" and "Contact Us" should be the last two items in the navigation.

Academic department site requirements

    • “Degrees” or “Degrees and Programs” - always first link in the navigation
    • “People” or "Faculty and Staff"– faculty and staff contact info and up-to-date office locations, research info for faculty - always second link in the navigation
    • If available, accreditation or licensing information
    • “Contact Us” – always the last link in left navigation or last link at far right of horizontal navigation
    • Whether your site uses horizontal or vertical navigation,  if you have an "ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ" section, it should not be the first item in the in the navigation, as it is not the most visited page.

       Administrative site requirements

    • “Contact Us” – last link in left navigation or last link at far right of horizontal navigation
    • "Contact Us" is required. May take the place of the "People" or "Staff" section.
    • Whether your site uses horizontal or vertical navigation, "ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ" should not be the first item in the in the navigation, as it is not the most visited page.
    • Relates to Policy 2.3 - Types of Pages Allowed