wanghaisheng Wayfinding and Navigation
Design navigation so that people with cognitive and memory difficulties can find content, understand where they are, and get back to where they were — without relying on memory.
Core Principle
Users should always be able to answer three questions instantly:
- Where am I?
- Where can I go?
- How do I get back?
If any answer requires more than 1 second of thought, the navigation has failed.
Design Patterns
Signpost Pattern
- Breadcrumbs in hierarchies deeper than 2 levels
- Step indicators in multi-step flows ("Step 2 of 4")
- Active section highlighted in navigation
- Page titles that match the link that brought the user here
Minimal Path Pattern
- Important actions reachable in 1–2 clicks from any screen
- Breadth over depth — flatten deep hierarchies
- Shortcuts to frequently used content
- "Back to [last meaningful location]" always available
Multiple Routes Pattern
- Search AND browse AND shortcuts for all important content
- Don't force a single path to any destination
- "Jump to" links for long pages
- Recently visited and frequently used sections accessible
Chunking Pattern
- Break long content into headed sections (3–5 paragraphs each max)
- Table of contents for pages longer than 3 screens
- Progressive disclosure for detail
- Group related form fields into labelled fieldsets
Assessment Checklist
- Every page has a clear, descriptive title
- Navigation is consistent across all pages (same position, same order)
- Current location is always visually indicated
- Breadcrumbs or back links are present in hierarchies
- Multi-step flows show progress and allow backward movement
- Search is available on every page
- Important actions are reachable in 2 clicks or fewer
- Headings describe content (not just categories)
- Link text describes the destination (no "click here")
Output Format
When reviewing: identify navigation failures with specific locations and recommended fixes. When designing: present the information architecture with cognitive accessibility annotations.