Web Interface Navigation Design: Which Style of Navigation-Link Menus Do Users Prefer?

Abstract

Navigation is an important aspect in web-site design to make information on web sites easy to find. Different navigation styles have been designed and employed on real-life web pages, most of the styles having good rationales as regards intuitiveness and ease of use. A study based on lay computer users investigates the theory that certain placement/ presentation styles for menus are more preferred than others and the expectation that left bars are easiest to use. Though the study confirms the former, the latter is not found true but a different, the Tabbed, navigation style is the winner.