Gord gave a great presentation last night on web navigation. Gord reviewed the trends in navigation techniques being used by major web sites such as BBC, Amazon, and Air Canada. According to Gord, there is a trend away from global, fixed navigation menus towards local, context-sensitive menus that change depending on a visitor’s current location.

Gord also talked about the importance of building task-focused web sites, and showed examples where key tasks are supported right on the home page (e.g., booking flights).

Given that this is Ottawa, Gord also spent a fair bit of time discussing Government of Canada sites, and the restrictions imposed by Common Look and Feel guidelines.

There was healthy discussion throughout the presentation, and it seemed to be a good time for everyone.

Were you there? If so, post a comment and tell us what you think.