What are the most common website navigation icons?
Most of the icons you'll come across on web pages are similar to the ones you'll find on your own computer's desktop. However, some icons you'll find on the web may be unfamiliar. In general, these icons are intended to be cues to tell you what you need to do next.
Probably the most important icon to be aware of is one whose job is merely to issue a warning: the little security padlock. The placement of this icon varies - Opera and Internet Explorer display it up at the top, to the right of the page's address, while Firefox puts it in the bottom right corner.
Either way, the closed padlock means that the connection to a particular site is secure – that is, the data in transit between your computer and the site is protected from tampering and interception by being encrypted. Make sure you see the closed padlock when visiting secure websites, like online banking or shopping sites.
A long, thin rectangular box surrounding empty space - like the one at the top right of this page - is a text box into which you type text. Typically, these are the entry points to search engines (either those that search the whole web or the smaller ones you find on many sites) or parts of the forms into which you type personal details (for example, payment information when you're buying something).
If it's a search box, there should be a button to the right (usually labelled something like ‘Search’ or ‘Go’) - click on it to start the search. For forms, there should be a button to click at the bottom to take you to the next step.
When you see a box with text in it and a small arrow on the right side, clicking on the arrow will drop down a list of options. Select from among these by clicking on the one you want. The list will close with your choice now showing in the window. If you make a mistake, just click on the arrow again and correct the choice.
A small arrow on the left side, however, is usually an option to show or hide additional information. On the BBC's home page, for example, clicking on the arrow to the left of the section labelled ‘News’ opens and closes a list of current headlines.
You don't need to know the name ’crumb trails’ to appreciate this navigational aid. These are the sequence of words at the top of the page you're reading, showing the pages you went through to get here - or, on some sites, a listing showing where in the site's structure the current page is. You can click on any of those pages to go back or find related pages.
Close pop-up windows by clicking on the 'x' in the corner (if there isn't a button labelled, then click on 'Close this window').
On most sites, clicking on the logo at the top left of the page takes you back to the site's home page.
Many sites mark links to audio or video clips with icons to indicate the type of material you're going to find. There is no particular standard for these icons, but they're usually some variation of a loudspeaker (for audio) and a TV or movie camera (for video).
Wendy M Grossman
Wendy M Grossman is a freelance technology writer and author living in London and is founder of The Skeptic magazine.
