Abstract
This research addresses the topic of three-level menu structures, now commonly found in e-commerce web sites, by measuring the performance and preference effects of different menu location combinations. Two studies were conducted, each using 16 different participants. The first study compared combinations of left and top menu positions across three menu levels. The results indicated a benefit when the first (primary) menu level was located on the left side of the screen, and when second and third menu levels were grouped in the same plane, opposite from the primary menu. The second study included a comparison of right-side menus. The results confirmed the benefit of grouping the second and third menu levels in the same plane, and suggest the value of locating the primary menu level on the right side. Finally, users preferred primary menus that were located in the left or right planes rather than the top plane. The results have important implications for the design of multi-level web site menu structures and represent a first-step towards providing empirical-based guidelines to site designers.
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