Ideas for navigation on a new website

[bwood]

I’ve got a new non profit. Www.melfortmuseum.org This is a small city museum and as you can see from their free blog account there’s text, some pictures and videos. I’ve sold them on using a paid service provider and my Xara.
The best pages are buried in “about us” so I’ve got a lot of planning to do.
I’ve got free design reign, and want to simplify their navigation, pages, and certainly the amount of drop downs.
Have at it ladies and gents. I’m going to freshen up the photography, headers and such, but I do need a road map of how exactly I’m going to this.
Many Thanks,
~Bill

[Initiostar]

I do need a road map of how exactly I’m going to this.

Bill,

Web designers have different approaches and ways of working, but I would share my approach with you.

Bring all the content together (in sections) where there is a logical content association across pages; create a storyboard that flows for each section (to encourage the visitor to stay on the page). Think about how this would work for a portrait mobile format as well as a desktop.

I would have no more than 6-8 sections. For example:

1. Home
2. Who We Are + About
3. Events (upcoming) + Visit Us
4. History (farming, equipment, buildings, social life, medicine)
5. Collection(s) - which is it what I assume visitors come to see
6. Our Railway Story (if it stands on its own or integrate with History)
7. Contact Us

Don't worry about the NavBar design or sub-sections until you have the content storyboards and an initial design sorted out.

Footnote: I never use Xara's NavBar sub-menu - it is just too limited and there are much better ways of managing sub-menus that will match your design.

Hope this helps,

Gary

[bwood]

Bill,

Web designers have different approaches and ways of working, but I would share my approach with you.

Bring all the content together (in sections) where there is a logical content association across pages; create a storyboard that flows for each section (to encourage the visitor to stay on the page). Think about how this would work for a portrait mobile format as well as a desktop.

I would have no more than 6-8 sections. For example:

1. Home
2. Who We Are + About
3. Events (upcoming) + Visit Us
4. History (farming, equipment, buildings, social life, medicine)
5. Collection(s) - which is it what I assume visitors come to see
6. Our Railway Story (if it stands on its own or integrate with History)
7. Contact Us

Don't worry about the NavBar design or sub-sections until you have the content storyboards and an initial design sorted out.

Footnote: I never use Xara's NavBar sub-menu - it is just too limited and there are much better ways of managing sub-menus that will match your design.

Hope this helps,

Gary

Thanks Gary. I’m not too fond of the nav bar sub menus either. I think I’ll stick to a standard top nav bar. Each section or page if you will will have links to different pages related to the subject.
Example ... Agriculture> pioneers, vintage, assorted text and pics.

~Bill