Ad hoc navigation: Ad hoc links are editorial rather than architectural: "typically an editor or content specialist will determine appropriate places for these types of links once the content has been placed into the architectural framework of the web site" (Rosenfeld and Morville 57). Usually this involves embedding hyperlinks within sentences or paragraphs (embedded links are also called contextual links). (6.8) Unfortunately, because users scan passages of text quickly, they often miss these embedded links. Therefore, if the link is important, the designer should complement the embedded link with an external link.

Developing Navigational Buttons

"The principal vehicle for traveling around a site is a set of buttons commonly grouped on each page into a navigational bar or navigational panel" (Kirsanov). One important aspect of navigational design is to make it obvious to all users that a button is a button. A form of visual accentuation is needed to distinguish buttons from the sounding visual elements--but text labels are not enough. The three primary forms of accentuation are 1) separating the labels from each other--such as with lines or borders,
2) accompanying the label with some bullet like graphic or icon, and 3) making the label appear raised above the surface (Kirsanov). (6.9) The buttons should also be as similar in size as possible, especially the height (the length will vary according to the label). But buttons that have text wrapping into two lines are difficult for users to interpret--users might assume each line leads to a separate page. (6.10) The primary goal is to make button recognition automatic and intuitive--users should not have to decipher whether an image is a button.