The three dimensions of website navigability: Explication and effects

Although the navigability of digital interfaces has been long discussed as a key determinant of media effects of web use, existing scholarship has not yielded a clear conceptual understanding of navigability, nor how to measure perceived navigability as an outcome. The present paper attempts to redress both and proposes that navigability be conceptually examined along three dimensions, namely, logic of structure, clarity of structure, and clarity of target. A 2 × 2 × 2 factorial between‐subjects experiment (N = 128) was conducted to examine distinct contributions of these dimensions to perceptions of a nonprofit website. The results showed significant effects for logic of structure and clarity on perceived navigability, while logic of structure and content domain involvement affected attitudes toward the website.