No matter the organization or navigation, good website design enables users to effortlessly find information. Like turning on a light switch, elegant web navigation shouldn't be a conscious action. As when you flick a light switch and expect the lights to come on, users expect to see certain information when they click the "About" tab. Navigating websites is a learned behavior, and after countless trials, users have compiled first-hand navigation experience that helps them find content. This reinforced learned behavior helps them successfully navigate through new sites.

Intuitive navigation examples:

• All pages contain basic site navigation.
• Navigation states (on/off) and page titles are consistent and indicate the current page.
• Hypertext link naming is consistent and exclusive to associated pages.
• All navigation goes somewhere specific and is obvious to the user.
• Category naming is directly related to content type.
• Global site categories or main sections are mutually exclusive and grouped intuitively.
• Similar types of navigation elements are grouped together and treated consistently from a visual perspective, indicating link priority and grouping methodology.
• An HTML site map is included for navigation and SEO purposes.

Common navigation mistakes:

• Confusing navigation naming and grouping with inconsistent visual treatments
• Global navigation that contains too many or too few categories
• Poor page indication and confusing or nonexistent bread-crumbing
• Inconsistent visual treatment of similar navigation devices like inconsistent colors for hypertext links
• Navigation items that disappear or move around, and dead-end pages that force users to use the back button
• Pages without a clear call-to-action
• Active links to the current page
• Not linking directly to the item named
• Priority content that is buried or hard to find
• Navigation that gives users an inconsistent or poor user experience