Policy

Lamar University will use consistent, meaningful, task-based navigation across its websites. Consistent navigation makes it easier for visitors to get to the information they need.

Standard

General Requirements

• • Limit the number of navigation items to no more than seven (7). Visitors only keep up to seven items in short-term memory and will generally ignore items beyond that number.
  • The main navigation does not have to include a link to every single page on the site. In fact, for a large site (50+ pages), it certainly should not. It is appropriate to have submenus on inside pages with links to deeper child pages or links within the text.
  • A "Contact Us" link must be last link in the left navigation or the far right link in the horizontal nav.
  • A "Home" link is optional and typically discouraged.
  • The first item in the navigation should be the most popular page on your site, excluding the homepage.

College site requirements

• • “Degrees” or “Degrees and Programs”
  • “Areas of Study” or “Departments”
  • “Contact Us” – last link in left navigation or last link at far right of horizontal navigation
  • Whether your site uses horizontal or vertical navigation, "About" and "Contact Us" should be the last two items in the navigation.

Academic department site requirements

• • “Degrees” or “Degrees and Programs” - always first link in the navigation
  • “People” or "Faculty and Staff"– faculty and staff contact info and up-to-date office locations, research info for faculty - always second link in the navigation
  • If available, accreditation or licensing information
  • “Contact Us” – always the last link in left navigation or last link at far right of horizontal navigation
  • Whether your site uses horizontal or vertical navigation,  if you have an "About" section, it should not be the first item in the in the navigation, as it is not the most visited page.

       Administrative site requirements

• • “Contact Us” – last link in left navigation or last link at far right of horizontal navigation
  • "Contact Us" is required. May take the place of the "People" or "Staff" section.
  • Whether your site uses horizontal or vertical navigation, "About" should not be the first item in the in the navigation, as it is not the most visited page.
  • Relates to Policy 2.3 - Types of Pages Allowed