TermCraft conventionFoundational
Information Scent
How well a link tells you whether it goes where you want.
Definition
The cues a user reads from labels and links to judge whether a path leads towards their goal, from information foraging theory.
Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.
In plain language
How well a link tells you whether it goes where you want.
Example
'Delivery and returns' has strong scent for a returns question. 'Customer information' has almost none.
Continue from here
Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.
Deeper reading
The full entry behind this definition.
- NavigationPattern
- First-Click TestingResearch method
- MicrocopyUX writing
Nearby in the Atlas
Adjacent territory, found through shared tags rather than a stated link.