For instance, a flat architecture starts
with the homepage, but quickly fans out into many choices, with little content and few
pages housed within each section. By contrast, a vertical architecture has few choices
stemming from the homepage, but each section extends deeply into its topic. A wellbalanced
architecture looks like a shallow pyramid, with a distinct point cascading down
into thickening subsections.
Neither structure is right or wrong, but each can present obstacles to users. A flat organization
may present too many choices from the get-go??”on the homepage, visitors are
unsure about where to click since the labels may not be distinct enough for a clear decision.
They might click around and become frustrated with the lack of content within each
option. A vertical organization is the opposite. Too few choices can present an equal level
of confusion, and users may delve several clicks deep before realizing the path is not going
to lead them to the content they are after.
How the hierarchy is laid out directly influences the navigation scheme through the site. It
helps the designer plan the primary, global, local, and contextual navigations.
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