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Organizing content on a website is a vital part of usability, and no two sites are organized the same way. Anticipating user needs understanding how and where they will look for content.
Organizing content on a website is a very important part of usability.
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People have struggled for years trying to figure out how to arrange information
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with categories or tags or all kinds of different ways.
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But if we consider the user-centered design, we know that presenting information logically
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allows users a better chance to find it, thus helping them continue with their task.
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This means understanding them and anticipating their needs.
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A great real life example of navigation that provides great visual cues and usability is the supermarket.
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Each aisle has a large sign with numbers in sequential order
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and a list of important products found in each aisle.
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Without the products listed, shoppers would have no idea what was in each aisle.
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Take away the aisle number, it becomes even more difficult to give shoppers an exact location.
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Both pieces provide helpful data about the structure of the supermarket
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and location of each product.
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Most websites use the same concept by providing a main navigation bar, usually at the top.
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While website are not required to list every page or section,
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they should provide the most important areas of content.
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So, considering a user-centered approach can help determine what to list there.
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For example, the most popular content, products, or vital information
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is usually listed first.
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Understanding the mission of a site or app
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can usually give you clues about what to consider as the primary content.
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If you have historical data, looking at the most popular sections and pages
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or searches performed on your site might give you some clues, as well.
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While no 2 sites have the same main menu bar,
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they very often include similar choices,
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including products and services, an about page to give background info,
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perhaps a help section and a contact page.
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Stores usually have a section to help users find locations.
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Designers usually have a portfolio or a client list.
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If you're designing an app, think about where you're going to provide access to a settings menu or help screen,
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especially something requiring complex directions.
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In both cases, you're probably going to provide a spot
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where people can log in to access personalized content.
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If you're unclear about what to include in the menu of your own site or app,
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it's helpful to check out your competitors
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and see if you can spot any patterns to give you some clues.
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Quite often, the choices made across an industry, or group of similar apps and sites,
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can show what your target users consider to be important navigation options.
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