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UIE Virtual Seminar Presentation

Designing Better Navigation for Web Applications

At some point, everyone who designs web applications runs into problems with the global navigation system. There may be too many tabs, everything is wedged into a tree, users can't find things, it takes too many clicks to get to the right screen, or perhaps the navigation system is growing out of control, crowding everything else off the screen. What should we do?

In this presentation, Hagan Rivers will lead you through the design of global navigation for an imaginary application called Biblio Tech - a tool for librarians. She will show how to go from wireframes to a hub diagram, to the key elements of the navigation system. Then, you will see the same application with Tabs, Menus, and Tree navigation.

Hagan will show other applications that use these three navigation systems: Tabs, Menus, and Trees and in so doing, explore the advantages and disadvantages of each one. As we look at these systems, Hagan will also point out some common problems and solutions for these navigation systems so that you can avoid making the same mistakes. You'll learn to view the global navigation as an application in its own right, with its own needs and constraints.

Finally, Hagan will show off some new navigation systems that are worth watching: bringing new ideas to the table and offering better solutions for us all in the future.

You'll learn:

• How to step back and see global navigation as a separate application with its own needs and constraints
• That designing your application without global navigation first can be liberating and powerful, leading to a better application design and a better global navigation design
• How to use Hub Diagrams to create an overview of your navigation system that works the way your users think
• The importance of trial and error in the design of navigation systems
• Some common mistakes in tab, menu, and tree-based navigation systems that you can avoid
• New types of navigation that are already in use and worth watching

Hagan has provided a sneak preview for her presentation:

If you're struggling with your web application's navigation system, or if you're setting out to design a navigation system, you don't want to miss this seminar.

Instructor Biography

Hagan Rivers is a pioneer designer of web applications who has worked on some of the web's most sophisticated applications. Hagan’s desire to design complex and elegant applications has placed her at the cutting edge of interaction design for each of the 20 years since receiving her Computer Science degree from MIT. She was the lead designer of Netscape from version 1.0 through 4.0, simultaneously designing on Windows, Mac, and Motif and in HTML. Hagan profoundly affected both the design of the internet and design for the internet.

Hagan worked on some of the very first web based interfaces and she continues to push the envelope of web application design in her current role as a partner at Two Rivers Consulting. She has designed and improved upon software for the general population, healthcare and insurance professionals, analysts, retailers, scientists, and system administrators. Her clients have included large and emerging companies, as well as nonprofit organizations and philanthropic causes.

Hagan has been a top-rated presenter at dozens of speaking engagements around the world, including her many appearances at UIE's User Interface Conference and Web App Summit.

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