Generate Revenue Through IT Using Business Service Management Sponsored by HP
Making sure that your business applications are available to their end users is an important part of running your business smoothly. Business operations have evolved to where IT must now broaden its focus to help the company attract, retain and grow customer relationships and increase customer satisfaction. Business service management (BSM) helps lay the foundation by managing services in dynamic support of business requirements. »
Managing the Modern Network Sponsored by HP
Networks are more than vehicles to transport e-mail and Web pages. In a global economy where information crosses the globe in an instant, and where Web-based applications power business, it's more important than ever to ensure your network is safe from threats and optimized to deliver the data your business needs. »
Storage Networking 2, Configuration and Planning
Sponsored by HP
In Part 1, we discussed storage area networks (SANs) and fibre channel. In Part 2, delve into best practices and cover the general concepts you must know before configuring SAN-attached storage. The most critical, sometimes tedious, part of setting up a SAN is configuring each individual disk array. This guide examines configurations for SAN-attached servers and disk arrays, and also includes a look at the future of IP storage.
»
Is Your Disaster Recovery Plan Good Enough? Get Disaster Recovery Right Sponsored by HP
Preparing for a disaster is more often than not part of the storage planning process, and without question it is one of the most difficult task, since it includes local hardware and software, networking equipment, and a test plan to ensure that you can recover from the disaster. Learn how to put your organization on the proper disaster recovery plan, now. »
Ever given up on a site because it's too difficult to get around?
It's a silly way to lose visitors. In this article we'll look at
how you can set up internal links so your visitors can move from
page to page with ease.
Ever given up on a site because it's too difficult to get around?
It's a silly way to lose visitors. In this article we'll look at
how you can set up internal links so your visitors can
move from page to page with ease.
As in the previous article in this series,
Usability: the Basics,
information will be combined from scientific research, the
opinions of experts, and techniques used by the Web's most
successful sites. First we'll look in detail at setting up
links, and then at site
structure, because it's so closely related to good navigation.
Link to the Home Page
Every page should link to the main menu of your site. That main
menu should usually be your default home page — something we'll
cover later in the structure section.
These days, visitors have an expectation of where they'll find
the Home link on every page. They expect to find it in the top
left corner. If you put it anywhere else, you're confusing them,
failing to meet their expectations — and that's poor
usability.
On established sites the top left slot may already be taken up by
something else such as promotion or link to a holding company. If
that's the case then put your Home link as close as possible to
the top left, and make it doubly clear.
Some sites, even big successful ones, use a corporate logo as
their Home link. Others use a house icon. Both these options
suffer a usability penalty compared to a link on the single text
word "Home". The problem with using a corporate logo is
that many sites don't use these for Home links, so your visitor
can't be sure whether your logo is a Home link or not until
they've clicked it. New Web users are similarly confused by the
house icon, until they've clicked a few and seen where they lead.
If you must use a logo or icon, you can remove the usability
penalty by adding a "Home" text link too. Chances are,
it will be clicked more often than the graphic.
The Breadcrumb Trail
This term is based on a Hansel and Gretel story, in which the
pair leave a trail of breadcrumbs to help them find their way
back through a forest. Usability guru
Jakob Nielsen took up
the expression to describe a very important aspect of Web
navigation.
Your visitors should be able to use your navigation system to
make their way up your site's hierarchical structure to the menu
of the current section, and to any section menu above that, and
ultimately to your home page.
It looks something like this, with each element linked to the
appropriate page:
It's a very useful element of navigation, probably more useful
than a navigation bar that covers your main sections, yet even on
big sites it's often missing.
Where are we? — Station Signs
The breadcrumb trail is closely associated with another important
aspect of navigation. Your visitors should be told where they are
right now.
Ever woken up when your train has pulled into a station and
wondered where you are? You expect the station signs to tell you.
That's why they're there.
The same applies on the Web. Arriving in the middle of a site
through a search engine is the equivalent of waking up in an
unknown station. So use your navigation to tell your visitors
where they've arrived. The best way is to use the breadcrumb
trail, and also to change the color of the current section in any
navigation bar that covers your main sections.
Search
Another essential navigation link is to your search page. It's
one of the first places your visitors will go if they think
they're close to where they want to be, but not quite there.
Don't lose them now! Put your search link near the top where it's
easy to find.
Section Links
In your navigation area you will probably supply links to other
main sections, usually in a consistent navigation bar. This will
save your visitors time if they want to jump to another area. But
don't overdo it. Supplying too many options can paralyse the
decision-making process. Think about your own decision-making
when you choose a holiday destination. Do you choose between
fifty destinations, a dozen, or just three or four? The smaller
the number, the easier it is to make a decision. On this basis,
most sites offer no more than eight section links.
Breadcrumb trails and section links are usually arranged
horizontally at the top of the page, often in two tiers with the
section links at the top and the breadcrumb trail just below. In
theory they could go down the left hand side, but since most
sites put them at the top, that's probably the best place for
them — again you'll be fulfilling your visitors'
expectations.
Generate Revenue Through IT Using Business Service Management
Managing the Modern Network
Storage Networking 2, Configuration and Planning
Is Your Disaster Recovery Plan Good Enough? Get Disaster Recovery Right 