Underground Web Designs Blog

The future is here. It’s just not widely distributed yet. –William Gibson

As someone who makes the online world his business, I can tell you that that quote is just as true now as it was when science fiction writer William Gibson uttered it many years ago. The internet is evolving every day, and the future is indeed friendly.

What is that future? The web of the future is all about openness and a single, unified user experience. In many ways the science fiction writers have had it right all along. As an increasing number of our everyday devices gain internal computers, the lines between the internet and the desktop, and indeed even the online world and the offline world, are beginning to blur.

The web is rapidly moving from something we use, to something we’re part of. Blackberys, iPhones, and PDA’s allow us to bring our internet connection with us as never before. Cell phones keep us connected to co-workers while at home, at work, and on the road. And the internet allows us to buy our cloths, plan our vacations, and communicate with others from wherever we are, whenever we feel like it. Lately, such products as Adobe AIR and Yahoo Searchmonkey promise to bring the web even closer to us, by putting it on the desktops of our computers and making it easier than ever to find the information we seek. Likewise, projects like OpenID, OAuth and others are working tirelessly to help us manage our increasingly digital identities.

As the web moves closer and closer to the dreams of science fiction writers the world over, how will your business adapt? Is your website ready? The evolving internet is all about continual interaction. There are no longer any lines between locations or between devices. The internet IS. Is your business ready to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity? Success on the new internet will go to those who are avaialble whenever and wherever their customers may look for them. It will go to those who can offer a complete and total experience that transcends the online world and encompases digital information, interaction, and physical products.

Apple is already doing this. Their computers, iPods, and now the iPhone all continue the unique, easy to use experience that the Apple website, software, and Apple Stores provide.

The next generation is growing up constantly connected to the internet. What are you doing to unify your products, services, and brand into one simple to use yet powerful experience that will make an impression on them?

When having a new website designed, it is important to give the matter of the site’s menus and navigation systems some serious thought. Navigation systems come in many forms, from vertical “Sidebar” menus, to horizontal “Top Bar” menus, to menus which take up a large chunk of the bottom of the page. Each style of menu has it’s advantages and disadvantages, which should be considered carefully.

The “Sidebar” menu is perhaps the most common. This menu runs down one side of the page and provides ample space for a large number of menu items. This can be great for sites that have a very large number of pages, as the sidebar area will usually have more than enough room to hold as many pages as you have. Also, since it is very common, most people are familiar with a sidebar menu and will intuitively understand that that is where they should look for other topics covered by your website.

The second most popular type of menu is the horizontal “Top Bar” menu. While slightly less common than the “Sidebar” menu, this style of menu is still more than common enough that most people will understand what it is, and will look for it if they don’t immediately see a sidebar menu. The top bar menu style does have some disadvantages in that the space along the top of a website is often very limited, which in turn limits the number of items that can be placed in such a menu.

One common way of dealing with the lack of space in any menu, but especially a top row menu, is by providing “drop downs” or expandable menus of some sort. While these provide a cool way of adding extra space to a menu, it should be noted that unless they are easy to use they will often be more of an annoyance than they are a help. Menus should be fairly forgiving in how long they stay open, so that on mistaken twitch of the cursor outside the menu doesn’t close it, but should also close quickly when the user is truly done with them — especially if they cover other text on your page.

The final type of menu is relatively new and fills a large area at the bottom of a page. This type of menu is arranged a little bit like a sidebar, but with several columns so that it is not too long and fills the whole width of the bottom of the site. Usually found on either blogs or website home pages, this menu allows a lot of information to made available in a very easy to use way. However, since it’s often located at the very bottom of the page it should only be used on short pages, or for unimportant details on longer pages. For a good use of this type of menu, check out the SecondLife.com homepage, which makes use of such a menu.

The important thing about your site’s navigation, no matter what form it may take, is that it be easy to use. If your visitor doesn’t understand how to find what they are looking for on your site, then they will soon go elsewhere. No matter how your navigation is designed, it never hurts to sit down a few people who have never seen your site and ask them to have a look around. If they immediately find and use the navigation, then you’re on the right track. If they have to fuss, fumble, or scroll excessively to find your navigation system, then you may want to re-think your design.