Case Studies Number Seven--apple.com:Navigation

There is only one navigation system on the home page of apple.com. The groups in the navigation are easy to understand as they are labeled in one or two words. Since there is one navigation, there is no such hierarchy existing .

The primary navigation on the home page does not disappear once I visit further levels of the site. However, when I go to the product section, an additional navigation system appear to show all categories of products. I can tell it is navigation because it is clickable and it has labels that represent groups of things / products.

Once I click on one of the navigation links, its look changes (highlighted). I think the links are designed in this way so that users know which links they visited. Furthermore, it is also a indication of which sections users are in.


Visited links are highlighted

I always know where I am by looking at the location indication bar right above the secondary navigation system. I never get to a point where I do not know how to go back to the home page.