1What is online journalism? - Ayo Menulis FISIP UAJY

194 Journalism Online
provide a link to an index or site map;
provide a search facility;
provide a way for the users to return to previous pages;
provide a linkable summary of where else on the site they can
go; and
link them to web content anywhere that is specifically related to
that page.
Not much really to fit on to the ‘real estate’ of your single web
page, is it? And, of course, you have got your content too.
There are certain standard features that can support navigation,
such as links being underlined and the cursor arrow turning into
a hand when over an interactive area. In theory, your browser
window can help with backtracking by offering ‘Forward’, ’Back’
and ‘History’ buttons, although these do not help users who have
parachuted in from another site to navigate yours. The ‘Back’
button will only return them to the previous site they were
visiting. So you’ve still got a bit to do.
Little surprise then, that designers can get it wrong. Some of the
common mistakes are:
forgetting some of these key elements;
not applying them consistently;
not displaying them clearly (e.g. putting search facilities at the
bottom of the page and, so, usually off-screen unless the user
scrolls);
allowing these features to take over the page, squeezing out the
content;
putting ambiguous labels on content categories;
putting labels on content categories that require the knowledge
the user is seeking in the first place to be understood;
subjugating the purpose of the navigation to the ‘look’ of the
site; and
use of inappropriate metaphor.
Metaphor is a tricky area. Get it right and it can simplify your
navigation and improve your user interface. Get it wrong and it
can dominate your site and contort your content organization.