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7. navigability

Splash screens should be clickable anywhere
If you do have a (hopefully with content) splash screen or entrance page, it should be clickable anywhere; the user shouldn't have to find the right place to click to enter your site.

Imagemap navigation bars should have text-only alternatives
Always include text-only alternatives to navigation imagemaps that you have, so that the set of choices are even more clear and so that non-graphical browsers can navigate your site.

Clickable images should be prominent
Images which are hyperlinks, particularly when they have BORDER=0 should be prominent and clearly visible. Either they should be the logical place to click or they should look like a button or other clickable device.

Idle images should be links
In general, an isolated image should be a link for maximum navigability. If the image is a logo, it should take you to the main page (if you're not already there). If the image is a picture of a person, it should take you to their homepage or be a mailto: for their email address.

Always have UP and TOP/HOME links
Always have navigation links that take you up one level and back to the top (or home) of the document tree (if they are different). For pages in a sequence (such as an alphabetical directory), "next" and "previous" links are also appropriate.

Never say "click here"
The words "click here" should never appear on any of your pages. If it isn't clear to the user what is clickable and what it should do, then you're doing something wrong.

When using frames, external links should go to the top frame
If you use frames, give external links the target=_top attribute, so that the external links go to the root of your frame window. Otherwise, the user may find themselves stuck with an external site in one frame from which it is hard to navigate back.

Avoid long, scrolling pages except when the content suggests it
Each page should only be a screenful or two long (with a reasonable width and font size), unless the content specifically demands longer pages. Glossaries and dictionaries, for instance, or an extended article, are examples of longer pages that are more appropriate. For introductory pages or navigation pages, the length should be as small as is reasonable.

Never have broken images or internal links
The one sure way to disappoint your users is to have inline broken images (because the URL for the image is invalid) or bad internal links which go nowhere or get put in a big "under construction" pool.

If you wish to display your awards, do it off of the main page
Web awards are a dime a dozen. If you feel the need to display them, do so on a subpage -- it shouldn't be the first thing you present to your users.
7 sisters production
next: originality
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