<aside> <img src="https://img.icons8.com/ios/250/000000/info.png" alt="https://img.icons8.com/ios/250/000000/info.png" width="40px" /> Allows users to navigate main sections of the website

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Global navigation helps users identify where they are and provides a quick, organized way to reach the main sections of the website. This component is crucial to the strength of the GS1 brand and must be at the top of all pages.

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Global navigation guidance

  1. Branded—The global navigation immediately tells users where they are.
  2. Useful—All high-demand pages and actions should be easily identifiable in the global navigation.
  3. Scannable—All link labels should be short, clear and neatly aligned.

Best practices

  1. Conduct usability research to make informed decisions. To the greatest extent possible, conduct research and usability testing on your site's information architecture and navigation structure.
  2. Use short, clear link labels. Do not use technical jargon or other unfamiliar terms.
  3. Order links by priority. Higher-demand content should appear farther to the left than lower-demand links (except for sites using a right-to-left language).
  4. Avoid structuring based on departmental organisation. Do not model navigation after your Member Organisation's (MO's) internal structure. Organise the navigation to suit your users' goals and mental models.
  5. De-politicise as much as possible. Because the global navigation is one of the most visible areas of a website, it's common for people within an organisation to have strong opinions on what should be highlighted there. During these discussions, keep your audience and their needs at the center of your MO's decision-making.

Global navigation on small screens