Proposal: 2.8 Ensure that navigation and wayfinding are well-structured

[jenstrickland]

THIS IS NOT A PROPOSAL!

Continue discussion with a due date of November 1, 2025.

Revised

2.8 Ensure that navigation and wayfinding are well-structured

Provide good information architecture that signposts visitors to what they need, both human and machine, so they can reach their destination as efficiently as possible.

Success Criterion: Navigation and search

Provide an accessible, easy-to-use navigation menu with search features to help users easily find what they need.

Success Criterion: Human-readable sitemaps

Consider implementing an efficient and regularly updated sitemap for human users. While guidance beyond the navigation bar may be unnecessary for smaller projects, clearly structured human-readable sitemaps can improve accessibility and help users find their way through websites or other online content with naturally complex or legacy information architecture.

Success Criterion: New content

Implement lightweight and efficient means for users to learn about new content and services.

Discussion

Clarify, semantic & accessibility connection

• This echoes the semantic code aspects. I would like to get Hidde's opinion re: accessibility and ensure we cover the basics of that here. Sitemaps needing to be human- readable? I'd want more evidence on why it needs to be human- readable beyond xml. CSS just adds weight.
• Needs Clarification
• While not directly linked to sustainability this definitely helps with cognitive load of the user as well as aiding assistive technologies.
• Definitely Assists with accessibility

SEO connection

• The reason it should be human readable is to provide support to the user when they are on the website itself rather than for SEO purposes (treat as yellow - I, Rose, already raised this New content needs more clarification and the resources dont really give much away. A general rule of new content generation should be to ensure there are accompanying comms to generate interest. Not necessarily in the form of web page. I would also have something in there that says ' do you have an audience for your content? If not don't even publish it' and ' Do you have data to support the creation of this new content, if not then dont publish it' (treat as blank - this aligns with the issue I, Rose, raised about conscious content creation - to be added later)
• Cross- over with "have good SEO" so that pages are findable.

Comments

• Some examples of how to highlight new content in the Additional Information section could be useful
• FYI: This issue with the sitemaps has been corrected in the last update - it turns out the previous version had been a mistake/misreading, so this was simply moving it closer to the original intent.

[jenstrickland]

Note: unless there is a definitive suggested change, propose keeping this criteria as-is. Is there language that anyone has regarding the site maps, or was that addressed in the previous revision round?

📣 Please review and provide input using the reactions. 👍 if approval, 👎 if not, and be sure to provide comments before Dec. 3rd.

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Updated below.

Proposed Guideline: 2.8 Ensure that navigation and wayfinding are well-structured

Provide good information architecture that signposts visitors to what they need, both human and machine, so they can reach their destination as efficiently as possible.

Success Criterion: Navigation and search

Provide an accessible, easy-to-use navigation menu with search features to help users easily find what they need.

Success Criterion: Human-readable sitemaps

Consider implementing an efficient and regularly updated sitemap for human users. While guidance beyond the navigation bar may be unnecessary for smaller projects, clearly structured human-readable sitemaps can improve accessibility and help users find their way through websites or other online content with naturally complex or legacy information architecture.

Success Criterion: New content

Implement lightweight and efficient means for users to learn about new content and services.

[awright1979-alt]

The position of "both human and machine" in the sentence "Provide good information architecture that signposts visitors to what they need, both human and machine, so they can reach their destination as efficiently as possible." reads that visitors may need human or machine things, rather than may themselves be humans or machines.

Suggest moving as follows "Provide good information architecture that signposts visitors, both human and machine, to what they need, so they can reach their destination as efficiently as possible."

[jenstrickland]

📣 Please review and provide input using the reactions. 👍 if approval, 👎 if not, and be sure to provide comments before Dec. 3rd.

Proposed Guideline: 2.8 Ensure that navigation and wayfinding are well-structured

Provide good information architecture that signposts visitors, both human and machine, to what they need, so they can reach their destination as efficiently as possible.

Success Criterion: Navigation and search

Provide an accessible, easy-to-use navigation menu with search features to help users easily find what they need.

Success Criterion: Human-readable sitemaps

Consider implementing an efficient and regularly updated sitemap for human users. While guidance beyond the navigation bar may be unnecessary for smaller projects, clearly structured human-readable sitemaps can improve accessibility and help users find their way through websites or other online content with naturally complex or legacy information architecture.

Success Criterion: New content

Implement lightweight and efficient means for users to learn about new content and services.

[systemstree]

I suggest "New content" to be renamed to "Discoverability of new content".

[hidde]

Suggestions:

“Navigation and search”:

• remove “accessible”: this is already covered in WCAG and not a sustainability requirement
• remove “with search features”: would say it's too specific, many websites are easy to navigate without search features and not all users will want to search; and even then, it's unclear from current text what would quality as sufficient search features.

“Human-readable sitemaps”:

• remove “Consider”, if this is a requirement, “consider” makes it pass automatically. You could consider for 1 second and note down you've met it.
• Remove explanation beyond adding sitemap, this seems to fit better in supplementary guidance / documentation for the SC.
• Suggested rewrite: “Provide a sitemap for human users.”

[AnneFaubry]

I would nuance the "search" guideline as it is not compulsory or relevant on all websites.

[jenstrickland]

Ready @TzviyaSiegman @AlexDawsonUK

Proposed Guideline: 2.8 Ensure that navigation and wayfinding are well-structured

Provide good information architecture that signposts visitors, both human and machine, to what they need, so they can reach their destination as efficiently as possible.

Success Criterion: Navigation and search

Provide an easy-to-use navigation menu to help users easily find what they need.

Success Criterion: Human-readable sitemaps

Provide a sitemap for human users..

Success Criterion: New content discoverability

Implement lightweight and efficient means for users to learn about new content and services.