How do you design navigation and location cues?
Show where users are and where they can go, with consistent entries across similar pages.
Navigation provides ways to reach content. Location cues explain where someone is now. Together, they reduce getting lost and repeatedly searching for the same information.
Keep these basics in mind
- Primary navigation connects main site sections. Use names readers understand.
- Breadcrumbs show a page’s place in the hierarchy, such as Help / Account / Change email. They are not browsing history. See USWDS breadcrumb guidance .
- Tabs switch related content. Pagination switches between portions of results. They serve different needs.
- Clearly mark the current section. Collapsed menus in narrow windows still need names, opening and closing behaviour, and keyboard use. See USWDS header guidance .
Find content
Illustrative navigation choices
This is a hypothetical help website.
| Entry | Previous problem | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Section name | Internal team abbreviation | A familiar reader-facing name |
| Current location | Colour change alone | Explicit current-item marker |
| Narrow-window menu | Unnamed small icon | Menu name and operation feedback |
Walk through an example
A user arrives at Change email from search. The title and breadcrumbs identify account-help content. They can return to Account to find password guidance. These destinations remain reachable through the collapsed main menu in a phone browser.
Limits and common misunderstandings
Not every site needs primary navigation, a sidebar, tabs, and breadcrumbs together. Choose for the content size and task. Website navigation should use suitable web patterns rather than copying every keyboard rule from complex desktop software menus.