---
title: "reading-and-navigating"
aliases: reading, navigating
tags: 
- info203 
- visual-design
---

# Reading and navigating
Information scent
- how to represent things so people can find what they want
	- do they realize their options
	- can they figue out how to get what they want
How to find Poor scent
- flailing (loss of orientation, reported or observed)
- low confidence (in what link with will do or where it will go) (measured before and after using a web link)
- back button (count usage of back button)

Low scent navigation
- unfamiliar terms
- suprising categories
- short links
- hidden navigation
- icons provide little information
	- generic icons rarely help
	- they help when 
		- they facilitate repeat recognition
		- when you know what something looks like but not what its called
		- good redundant coding can help

improving scent
- multiword links
	- specific recognisable terms
	- trigger words not "clever" terms
	- help accessibility
- speaking block navigation
	- subheadings
	- explanations
- design for glanceability
	- ![](https://i.imgur.com/pMNYIUB.png)