Rich Navigation Pane: an Integrated Browser Component to Assist Web Navigation

Navigation and search are two general ways to retrieve information on the web. The usability and utility of web navigation have a direct impact on information seeking efficiency and the success of a website. There are basically two ways to improve web navigation designs. One is to improve the webpage design and content organization of the website; web usability studies have offered plenty of guidelines in this area. Yet another way that has not received sufficient attention is to enhance the browser’s navigation capability. This research followed the second approach and developed Rich Navigation Pane (RNP), an integrated browser component, to visualize the structure of web information space and assist web navigation. RNP provides a consistent interface for the complex and unpredictable web, and also offers rich functionalities to assist web navigation. The research is expected to advance web usability studies and explore the use of hybrid interfaces for web applications.