Organizing content based on your audience’s needs is a best practice for managing your company’s website. Your primary form of navigation should be one of the following:
• by subject (topics, life events)
• by task or service
• by audience group
• by geographic location
• by any combination of these factors
Because navigation by organizational structure has traditionally been less effective for web users, you should use this as an alternative -- not primary -- form of navigation.
You should know your audiences and communicate with them regularly to analyze their wants and needs. Organize your content based on that feedback and other research.
• Usability tests and customer satisfaction reviews indicate that most web visitors--both citizens and other audience groups--are familiar with navigating websites by subject, audience, or location.
• Focus groups and other feedback indicate that citizens do not know--nor do they want to know--how the company is organized to get the information and services they want. Creating navigation according to organizational structure is not the best way to design a website for people.
• Disseminate information to the public in a timely, equitable, efficient and appropriate manner
• Maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information and services provided to the public
Organizing content by subject, audience or location -- or any combination of these factors -- can help you make your website more efficient, appropriate, and useful to the public. It shows that you’re communicating with your customers and listening to what they need.
• Use a variety of ways to determine the best way to organize information for citizens and your other customers. See our getting to know your audience page for examples of how to do this.
• Once you know your audiences’ preferred methods for navigating your site, you need to build an overall organizational structure for your site. This is sometimes referred to as a “taxonomy” or “information architecture."
• Some company public websites focus on special audiences, such as specific business partners or other company organizations. In those cases, using an organizational structure as a secondary navigation may be desirable – if those intended audiences are familiar with that structure.
• Because audiences' needs change, testing and analysis should be an ongoing effort.
Provided to you by Roberto Espinoza and Patricia Espinoza at: CPC Computer Consultants, Inc.
www.cpccci.com
www.cpcwebsolutions.com
www.cpcwebdevelopment.com