Navigation Definitions - II

Depending on the type of software, one purpose might be more important than the other. In a game for instance, there is not much information to access, and thus, performing functions is far more important than accessing information, yet providing an intuitive navigation system in a game to perform its functions can determine its success or failure. In an enterprise mission critical application, accessing information for analysis or diagnostic purposes is of paramount importance. Since websites have morphed from online brochures to full- fledged applications, accessing information and performing functions have become both equally critical for websites. Therefore, what influences the usability of websites, more than any other type of software, is indeed their navigation system. After all, the web is nothing but a network of websites which themselves consist of a collection of hyperlinked webpages. Hyperlinking, which originated from the Internet and is an integral part of it, is nothing but a form of navigation.
Navigation can be:
 Intentional, in which case, a user has a clear objective as to where to go to access certain information or how to go about performing a certain function; or
 Incidental, in which case, a user has no specific purpose other than discovering things while browsing or searching. By the way, browsing and searching are by far the single most important and common functions performed on the web, reminding us again of how critical navigation is for websites.
Regardless of whether it is intentional or incidental, navigation deals with both location (where) and paradigm (how). In simple terms, navigation answers the following questions:
 Where am I?
 From where, and how, did I get here?
 Where, and how, do I go to access information or perform a function?