Navigation Paradigms

A navigation system can be:

 Flat & broad, in which case all choices are exposed at once. The main advantage of such system is that it requires the least number of clicks to achieve a task, but the main disadvantage is that it may overwhelm and confuse users with too many choices. A good example of a website with a flat & broad navigation system would be Yahoo.

 Narrow & deep, in which case choices are logically grouped and only a limited number of choices are presented at a time. The main advantage of such system is its simplicity, but its main disadvantage is that it requires users to guess where the choices are categorized, to dig deep into the structure to find what they want, and thus force them to perform a higher number of clicks compared to a flat navigation system. A good example of a website with a narrow & deep navigation system would be Google.

 Hybrid, in which case the system is self-learning, intelligent, and flexible enough to be flat & broad or narrow & deep whenever appropriate based on system defaults, system recommendations, users’ recommendations, users’ preferences, and users’ navigation habits tracked by remembrance capabilities. Essentially, with a hybrid system, navigation molds itself to users giving them an impression that the system is familiar or intimate with them, and hence, offers them a much better satisfying experience. A good example of a website with a hybrid navigation system would be Luristic.