The Effect of Scent on User Recall and Navigation

Abstract

When designing navigation menus, there are some key tradeoffs that usability professionals struggle with to ensure an easy to use navigation system. In the short term, the menu should support effective user wayfinding and confidence to accomplish the current task. Menus can also achieve longer term benefits by demonstrating the information architecture of the site, providing support for future tasks. For example, users would be more likely to return to the site if they believe a product they need in the future is available there. The effectiveness of menu design hinges on whether these objectives are achieved. The focus of this study was the impact of menu label scent on user performance in navigation tasks. Labels of high and low scent were placed at two menu positions to measure the impact on the short term goal of finding a known item and the long term goal of developing an awareness of the information architecture. The results provide insights that can be used in the design of navigation menus.