Is it necessary to highlight the active page on a website navigation?

Question

I was designing a web page, a simple site with a hero image with a top navigation on top of the image. While trying to figure out the best option for displaying the link when it is active (so you're on the page that the link goes to) I stopped and asked myself - do I need this?

Usually, and in my case, pages will display a page title anyways, which along with the content will clearly show the user what page they're on.

So my question is, does highlighting the active link, specifically in a website navigation, enhance the user experience or make the site easier to use?

Answer 1

Absolutely you should highlight the user's current position.

You shouldn't expect a user to understand your site's hierarchy and organization when they first visit.

Highlighting their current position provides many benefits:

• Provides a sense of context to help a user understand your site hierarchy
• Allows a user to see where the next page or section of your site is without thinking
• Provides feedback that the user got where they wanted to go

I think it'd be tough to argue against showing the user where they are.