Re: Navigation Proposal

["digitect" <digitect mindspring com>]

> From: "Michael Bernstein" <webmaven lvcm com>
> Sent: Saturday, December 23, 2000 6:19 PM
> Subject: Re: Navigation Proposal
>
>  . . .
>
> Here is one possible wayfinding solution that I've suggested
> before: Create an additional navigation device on the front
> page of the site, separate and distinct from the main
> navigation, that lists common tasks and leads to the correct
> section of the site. We can also create similar 'audience
> oriented' navigation to provide shortcuts for the press,
> developers, end-users, etc. The thing to keep in mind is
> that these additional wayfinding navbars do not compromise
> the *organization* of the sites content, which is still
> according to a pure topic oriented schema.
>

I completely agree with Michael's other statements in this message, but this
paragraph bears repeating.

If we don't have a clear structure behind the scenes, authoring and
maintainability will be pretty much impossible. Why not simply express this
structure in the primary navigation scheme? Then the form and the content will
have an architectural integrity that makes the site easy to navigate and doesn't
require a lot of explanation for everybody that will have to interface with the
design of the site at some point in its lifetime.

We can *always* put subjective/topical shortcuts from any page to any other
page. It's even possible to create whole micro-environments that have content
referenced from all over the site for groups like the press, new users, kde
users, etc.

I wonder if we're struggling with a main structure because we haven't fleshed
out a full outline of content. Sooner or later, somebody's going to have to do
this ... why not now?

Steve  [ digitect mindspring com ]