What is Navigation?

We are always try to "find our way"—when we travel, when we work, when we read. Life is a journey, and navigation is an important part of every element of that journey. But what is navigation and how do you apply that to information design?

Navigating through the Pearl Harbor Ship Channel

When I was a teenager, my family lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, and a family friend (Dale) invited me one day to go sailing with him and his son. We rented a small sailboat, and we met at the marina at Hickam Air Force Base to take the sailboat out through the mouth of the marina—between the flightline (which ran out into the ocean) and the entrance to Pearl Harbor ship channel—and then out into the Pacific Ocean.

As we began to sail out of the marina, Dale pointed out the buoys that were floating nearby and explained that, while we might not see how deep the water was, we would sail between the buoys to ensure that we could get out to the ocean. The buoys served to help us navigate our way through to know where the waterway was deep enough for a boat to go.

Pearl Harbor's ship channel has  concrete blocks on either side of the channel. I'm not sure why, but in some places, you can step out on those concrete blocks to get right up to the water when the tide is out. If we had wandered outside the navigated path and tide had been out, we might have scraped the bottom of the boat on the concrete blocks that surrounded that path and thus damaged our boat.

Navigating through a Document

Just as we navigated through the marina, your readers will need to navigate through your document. And effective information design considers the reader's "navigation." Your reader may be searching for specific information—e.g., a link, a source, a heading—and you as a writer want to be able to enable the reader to find that information.

For example, when you write a report, you provide your reader with a table of contents and you label each page after the first with numbers. Then, readers who are looking for information can go through the table of contents, identify the location for that information, and find the page on which that information exists.

On your resume, you will provide your reader with conventional headings that will help a reader locate specific information. You may label sections with "Experience" or "Education" or "Skills" to help the reader find that information more easily.

If you are writing a virtual document, you will also provide navigation. For example, if you are writing a blog, you will provide your readers with a list of archived posts (preferably by title rather than by date) so your readers can locate a post by the information they are seeking.

Navigation is central in information design, and to effectively plan your navigation you must focus on your user's needs and consider how the user will use the document. (Planning is part of the writing process, and you can consider navigation during the early stages of the process to improve your document's effectiveness.) To successfully plan and navigate a document, consider what conventional elements your reader expects and how your reader will work through the document. Make navigation a priority, particularly if you want to create a user-centered design.

What is the Writing Process [Infographic]?

I addressed the writing process in a previous post on this blog. However, some people better learn from visual representation of a process, so I have created an infographic about the writing process.

What are Conventional Elements of a Document?

When you write documents, your audience expects certain parts of that document—such as a signature on a letter—and you must, as the writer, provide those "conventional elements"—those elements that the reader expects.

What is a document? Traditionally, documents were considered printed text and images; however, today, documents include any type of text, which includes print text, hypertext (or digital text), code, videos, and audio recordings. Think outside the box when you define "document," because today, a document can include

• books and reports,
• e-mails,
• letters,
• resumes,
• voicemail messages, and
• texts.

Because documents are diverse—e.g., each in its audience, genre, purpose, means of delivery—each document has its own conventional elements.

Conventional elements and the audience's expectations

In information design, you need to consider what conventional elements will your audience expect. When you create a Web site, your audience may expect a "search" window and button at the top right of the page or a Web master link at the bottom. For a blog, your audience may expect tags, a date, and a list of archived articles to browse. Audience members may also expect comment windows and thus the ability to interact with the designer. If you creating a podcast, your audience will expect a title and introduction of the speaker and/or subject matter.

Each document has conventional elements—elements that the audience expects—and the designer is responsible to provide what audience members need and want.

Books, manuals, and reports

In a larger, bound publication, readers expect

• a cover,
• a title page,
• a table of contents, and
• the body of the text.

The purpose of the document determines the conventional elements. For example, a novel will not need an index, lists of tables and figures, and other elements that navigate to specific information; instead, the novel should be read in a linear fashion. However, an informational book, manual, or report should allow the reader to more easily navigate—to identify the specific location of information within the document. Thus, an informational document will include lists of visuals—figures and tables—as well as an index and appendixes (supplemental information that the reader might want and that is added at the end of the document).

E-mails

When we read e-mails, we anticipate that before we open the document, we will know who sent the e-mail and what it references. Therefore, the e-mail should include the sender's e-mail address and a descriptive subject line. While these elements are informative, they also relate to security and enable the recipient to know what the e-mail contains, which helps to prevent the spread of viruses that can damage hardware and software.

Letters

Letters are a more formal communication medium than e-mail or memorandums. Traditionally, letters were the most favored form of communication, and historians maintain the letters of many great communicators and historic figures. Letters are still important and relevant today because they provide a formal documentation of the information you are sharing.

Letters should include

• your mailing address, because letters are typically sent via U.S. Postal Service;
• the date that you print the document—to inform the recipient of the timeliness of the letter;
• the recipient's name, position, and mailing address;
• a salutation (greeting);
• a introductory summary to inform the recipient of the letter's contents;
• a concluding summary to reiterate the purpose of the letter and your request for action—and include contact information (phone and e-mail) so the recipient can more easily access how to contact you; and
• a signature block.

Resumes

Resumes are perhaps the most important document that you will write because you won't get an interview if you do not write a strong resume and cover letter!

Resumes come in a variety of forms, including digital and video. But every professional needs a well-designed print resume, and that resume must include information (in varying orders and formats) about

• your name (so potential employers will remember your name),
• your contact information (so they can contact you for an interview),
• your work history with dates and locations,
• your education with dates and an emphasis on your degree (not the university), and
• skills that make you a strong candidate for the job for which you are applying.

Voicemail messages

When leaving voicemail, you should always first clearly state your name so the recipient of your message knows from whom the message comes. Also, finish all voicemails with a telephone number so the recipient can act on your message and return your telephone call. Although telephones have caller identification today, some business hardware does not allow the recipient to record the call or identify which telephone number goes with which message.

Texts

When sending a text, you should always begin with a brief introduction—your name and your relationship with the recipient—unless you know that the recipient has saved your name and telephone number to her phone. You should also consider a text as a concise mode of communication, so include a closing or a call to action but use full language rather than "text-ese."