Implementation advice
Primary navigation
(Refer to 1.2.6 of the CUE Standard)
The primary navigation is where the main content areas of the site are presented to the user. Depending on site requirements this will consist of straight text links and / or pop up menus. Horizontal presentation means that screen real estate is a constraint on the number and length of menu items. Navigation items will wrap to another line where necessary however this may not be acceptable on grounds of aesthetics and usability.
If attempting to keep the navigation to a single line you may be limited to six or seven menu items (of course depends on item lengths). This has implications for the information architecture of the site. Grouping content into six or seven primary content categories may prove one of the bigger challenges of an implementation.
TIP: The use of pop up menus in the primary navigation necessitates the use of index pages to ensure the pop up menu links are accessible to all.