Improving Website Navigation

[Srirangan]

We've been working on a major project the past few weeks. We have received reviws and feedback from testers that the navigation of the website was not upto the mark.

You can view the website here. Could some give some reasons why people don't like the navigation, and what we can do to improve it.

Thanks!

[Dark Tranquility]

You mean the top horizontal navigation?

[Srirangan]

I was referring to the left vertical nav, where al the topics & subtopics are present.

[philm]

I'm guessing he means the left nav, it just a huge mish-mash of links. You need some kind of graphical element/device to divide the areas and main headers I think.

Maybe some solid bands under the section heads plus a little more space like this..?

[Dark Tranquility]

It is too crowded for me!
may be a vertical drop down for that one:
http://tutorials.alsacreations.com/modelesmenus/vd2.htm
Also take a look here:
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/dropdowns

[Srirangan]

I'm guessing he means the left nav, it just a huge mish-mash of links. You need some kind of graphical element/device to divide the areas and main headers I think.

Maybe some solid bands under the section heads plus a little more space like this..?

Thats a good idea phil. Thanks for the links DT. Will try a bit of fiddling around with the style sheets.

[Srirangan]

Added a dark bg to the main sections .. still looks ugly and worse than that unusable.

[Dark Tranquility]

Added a dark bg to the main sections .. still looks ugly and worse than that unusable.

it is not that ugly IMO, I quite like the overall design but the usability is the problem here!
CSS dropdown menus is the best and easiest alternative I see

[Srirangan]

Can you give me an example of what you mean by CSS drop downs?

[Dark Tranquility]

did you look at the links in my previous post?
these are dropdown menus done with CSS in this case:
http://tutorials.alsacreations.com/modelesmenus/vd2.htm
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/dropdowns

[Srirangan]

Oh those.. I personally hate them.. lol!

[Dark Tranquility]

Oh those.. I personally hate them.. lol!

see if your client likes them?

[Srirangan]

I (along with 2 others) am the client, and developer, and marketer etc etc

[Dark Tranquility]

why do you hate them?

[Srirangan]

I don't "hate" it but I don't think it would suit the left nav. Wouldn't help in usability.

[Dark Tranquility]

What do you think about this one?:
http://www.alistapart.com/d/horizdro...horizontal.htm
good usability?

her's the technique: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/horizdropdowns/

[AutisticCuckoo]

see if your client likes them?

Better yet: see if your client's visitors like them.

[Dark Tranquility]

Better yet: see if your client's visitors like them.

exactly! the visitors are the key word here

[philm]

Exactly.... your original post was...

We've been working on a major project the past few weeks. We have received reviws and feedback from testers that the navigation of the website was not upto the mark.

You can view the website here. Could some give some reasons why people don't like the navigation, and what we can do to improve it.

We've all suggested solutions which you seem to disregard because YOU don't like them, look where that got you the first time round...

[Srirangan]

I incorporated most solutions, I just don't think a CSS drop down menu would be ideal. Because of the last number of sub sections. Anyhow .. thanks

[philm]

Cool, let's hope it does the trick!

[Dark Tranquility]

I looked at your site and it is still the same!

[Srirangan]

I looked at your site and it is still the same!

I did the small changes to the nav bg as shown in the image posted above. Other than that I'll try the javascript/css drop down over the weekend.

[UrbanFonts]

If you want to keep the same design, separate the sections on the left side with different background colors (alternating colors would work I guess). Other than that, the page looks very busy.

[Srirangan]

I'll try some color combo's. Can you suggest some good color scheme? Some useful tool on the internet? As you would've guessed, I'm not the most artistically inclined person on SitePoint.