...from your home page

Generally speaking I really like SFGate.com and think the site does many things extremely well. Maybe that's why it drives me so crazy that designers have abandoned convention for "home" navigation.

On the home page, "SFGate Home" is listed and hyperlinked in the left-side navigation just as any other high-level channel link. This begs the question from users, 'Am I not on the home page?'

In fact, further confusing the situation, the only differentiated text which rests above the scroll within the navigation bar is the non-linked header text "News & Features."

Sure, they'll find out that it actually is the home page if they click on the link and see that the page simply re-loads, and sure it only wastes a couple seconds for most users, but what's the point in this?

It can only serve to confuse and annoy. Including "Home" within the site navigation on the home page is fine, but don't link it. And make it distinctive from words that are linked. Make its design say 'you are here.'

For that matter, no link should ever simply reload the current page (unless for some reason you're providing a redundant "Refresh" link). The only possible outcome is for users who think they're being directed to new content to waste time waiting for the page they're already on.

March 25, 2003