Breadcrumbs

Classification:

[x] Best Practice

Categories:

[x] Navigation

Standard:

HHS recommends the use of breadcrumbs on all pages.

Rationale:

Giving the user a visual cue to their location on a web site is much like the “You are here” indicator on a map.  Providing a visual cue with breadcrumbs has the benefit of orienting the user to where they are on a series of pages, and where they are in the overall site hierarchy. Breadcrumbs also assist visitors who come into the site on a subordinate page (via Google, etc.) to access related hierarchical information.

Sources:

Evans, 1998; Farkas and Farkas, 2000; IBM, 1999; Lynch and Horton, 2002; Horton, 2005; Nielsen and Tahir, 2002; Spool, et al., 1997.

Exemptions:

Breadcrumbs are not recommended for pages that are part of dedicated Web applications such as the ITAS timekeeping system, PubMed, etc. that have built-in navigation tools.

Requirements (content & style):

Breadcrumbs should start with "xxx home" (not "You are here") where xxx is the overarching site title.  Typically, for all pages on HHS.gov, breadcrumbs would be displayed as:

HHS Home > Level Two Page Title > Level Three Page Title >

---

HHS Home > Value-Driven Health Care > Communities >

Each element in the breadcrumb is a link.  The page itself is not named or otherwise included in the breadcrumbs.  For practicality’s sake, limit levels (clickable breadcrumbs) to four levels, no matter how many levels down a particular page may be.

For a file structure that looks like:

Home > Level Two > Level Three > Level Four > Level Five > (Page)

The breadcrumbs would look like:

Home > Level Two > Level Three > Level Four

Related Standards:

Home Page Link

Related Guidelines:

Provide Feedback on Users’ Location (V2, 7:4, p. 62)

Checklist: