Abstract:
Web applications are widely used worldwide, however it is important that the navigation of these websites is effective, to enhance usability. Navigation is not limited to links between pages; it is also how we complete a given task. A Web application has three components that make up a Web application, which are content, hypertext and presentation. Our main focus is on the hypertext and content component as it is concerned with the navigation of a Websites. Hypertext part of a Web application has two challenges that is non- linear and disorientation. Moreover, navigation of a Website needs to be effective in order to retain its users.
Navigation structure needs to be effective in order to perform task easily and efficiently. In this research first it provides with the detailed analysis of literature on Web applications navigation structure, in order to identify what factors are important for an effective navigation. Problems identified through the literature study were that there lies problem of navigation when using on diverse platforms, navigation considered as subpart of a framework focusing on other aspect of the Web applications. There is need for a framework that looks into navigation as a main part.
In order to develop an effective navigation structure we developed a generalized model which was extended in framework in the light of Content Management Systems (CMS) for developing and evaluating navigation structure of Web applications. This proposed framework was applied on three CMS, which were Wordpress, Joomla, and Drupal and also on eBay Website to validate the identified factors. To identify which factors are important for navigation and are present at each CMS and also to find out which has better navigation structure. To evaluate these Web applications a survey was conducted based on the factors identified in framework. The results shows that there exist correlation between the identified factors and CMS are helpful in development of navigation structure.
