Simple Naviagation

Permanent navigation - the international site nav that is seen on every page as a component of the page template - requires being visibly identifiable as navigation. Moreover, it should be simple to understand, target and pick.

• Web 2.0 design makes global navigation large, bold, clean and obvious.
• Inline hyperlinks (links within text) are typically clearly differentiated from normal text.

Why simple navigation is better

Users should be able to recognize navigation, which informs them the different kinds of important information:

• Where they are (in the scheme of things)
• Where else they can go from here
• And what options they have for doing stuff

Following the principle of simplicity, and general reduction of noise, the best ways to clarify navigation are:

• Placing permanent navigation links separately from the content
• To differentiate navigation by use of color, tone and shape
• To make navigation items big and bold
• Using clear text to make the purpose of each link unambiguous

How to keep your navigation simple

Simply remember the key: Just remember that navigation should be clearly distinguishable from non-navigation.

You need to follow the guiding principles above, concerning differentiation through location, color and clarity.

Inline hyperlinks must also be prominent satisfactorily from the text around them.

See these snippets. In each case, you are aware what a link is. (In my opinion, making use blue text, which is not underlined that turns to underlined red on hover should be used...)