GUUUI – Navigation blindness
http://www.guuui.com/issues/01_05.php?PHPSESSID=a5ff6cfe82c1a56a2dd40ab61af0ef3d
In conclusion
It seems to be an inescapable fact that users are highly goal-driven and tend to ignore navigation tools. Instead, they focus on the centre area, and hit the back button if they can’t find anything that will take them further.
The findings suggest that navigation should be a prominent part of a website. Instead of being discrete appendices separated from the rest of the site, navigation should be integrated into the site and make sure that users stay in the flow.
Some might say that it’s not as bad as it seems. People will eventually find the one link that takes them further after having examined a web page more thorough. But why should we place this burden on people if we can design navigation schemes based on how people actually navigate.
という結論になっています。
「Website Usability Breadcrumbs and Left Side Navigation」でもよく似た内容の記事がありましたが、ユーザーは設計者が考えているほどナビゲーションは使用していない傾向があります。それよりもブラウザの [戻る] ボタンのほうがよく使うと。
設計したナビゲーションを利用するかしないかが問題ではなくて、目的のコンテンツにきちんと流れ着ければ (ナビゲートできれば) それでいいわけで。
