Web pages are more than just a collection of pages containing useful information and forms for interaction. They are a network of interrelated nodes that have been structured and organised so that users can find what they are looking for. Since the structure of websites varies so much, users are forced to relearn how to navigate around them. Users frequently have trouble deciding which page within a site to visit next. This decision usually involves an understanding of their current location within the site, and for poorly constructed sites this can be difficult to determine. One possible reason for this could be that developers design the navigation system around the assumption that users will first visit the home page when they enter the site. This is not always true, as users may be linked to any page on the site from a bookmark, url or search engine result. Continue reading →