On this page
- 01Key takeaways
- 02Why describe tasks instead of a menu?
- 03What should the navigation section include?
- 04What evidence should you attach?
- 05What should you ask suppliers?
- 06What does this look like in practice?
- 07Navigation brief checklist
- 08Next step
- 09Sources and further reading
- 10Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
A website brief should describe navigation as tasks visitors must complete, not as a list of menu items. Include the top five tasks, customer words for your services, the devices that matter, the accessibility standard, the testing you expect and how success will be measured. This gives designers room to solve the problem and gives you a way to judge the result.
- List the five tasks visitors must complete easily.
- Give customer words for each service.
- Name devices, accessibility standard (WCAG 2.2 AA) and browsers.
- Ask for card sorting, tree testing or usability testing.
- State the metrics that will judge success.
Want help writing the navigation section of your brief? Message us on WhatsApp.
Chat on WhatsApp →Why describe tasks instead of a menu?
A brief that dictates the menu fixes the answer before anyone has looked at the problem. A brief that says 'a homeowner must find a price for a loft conversion within a minute on a phone' lets designers propose and test the best structure, and gives you a clear test of whether they succeeded.
What should the navigation section include?
A short section covering these points is enough for most projects.
- Top five visitor tasks, written as goals.
- Customer words for services, from enquiries and searches.
- Pages that must be one click from anywhere.
- Devices and screen sizes, including tablets.
- WCAG 2.2 AA as the accessibility standard.
- Current URLs to keep or redirect.
- Research and testing expected.
- Success metrics and the baseline.
Want your current navigation evidence gathered for the brief? Message us on WhatsApp and we will discuss your requirements.
Chat on WhatsApp →What evidence should you attach?
Attach what you know: analytics on key-page reach and exits, site search terms, common support questions and any usability test notes. Evidence helps suppliers quote accurately and stops the project being decided by opinion.
What should you ask suppliers?
Ask how they will research and test the structure, how they handle URL changes and redirects, how menus are built and whether you can edit them yourself, and how they test on devices and for accessibility. Answers show whether navigation will be designed or just drawn.
What does this look like in practice?
A pattern we see: a brief lists a menu of nine items copied from the old site, so the new site reproduces old problems in a new design. Rewriting the navigation section as five tasks with customer words and a testing requirement leads to a shorter, tested menu.
Navigation brief checklist
- Five visitor tasks as goals.
- Customer words for services.
- Must-reach pages.
- Devices and WCAG 2.2 AA.
- URLs to keep or redirect.
- Research and testing required.
- Metrics and baseline.
Next step
Write your five visitor tasks before you write anything else in the brief.
Message us on WhatsApp for help with your website brief, or book a 30-minute consultation.
Chat on WhatsApp →Sources and further reading
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 · W3C
- User research · GOV.UK Service Manual
- Tree testing: fast, iterative evaluation of menu labels and categories · Nielsen Norman Group
Frequently asked questions
Should I specify the menu in my website brief?
Describe what the menu must achieve rather than the menu itself. List the tasks visitors must complete, the words customers use and the pages that must be easy to reach, and let the designer propose and test the structure.
What accessibility standard should a website brief ask for?
WCAG 2.2 level AA is the usual benchmark for UK businesses. Name it explicitly in the brief and ask suppliers how they test against it, including keyboard and screen reader checks for navigation.
How do I measure if the new navigation is successful?
Agree metrics and a baseline in the brief, such as key-page reach, homepage exits, task success in a usability test and enquiries. Compare them over equal periods before and after launch.
Written by
Global Bridge Labs (GBL) is a UK–Sri Lanka partner for social media, websites and BPO. Everything here comes from client delivery, not theory.
