A landing page (or lobby page) is a term related to the field of User Experience, and it serves as an internal gateway page to a content world or topic within a portal. The landing page is designed with the user's convenience in mind, providing an additional option for navigation within the portal (besides the side navigation menu) - typically, it contains brief explanations and links to pages within the content world whose name it bears - thereby saving the user clicks and facilitating orientation.
A few principles for using a landing page:
Uniqueness: Like the homepage, a landing page should also be unique and different from regular content pages in the portal. It does not contain extensive content and serves as a focal point for in-depth topics on the site. Therefore, it typically includes a brief explanation for each topic and a link for further content exploration. Images or icons (of a uniform size) will increase interest and appeal.
Content: As mentioned, the landing page contains a limited amount of content, but when there is content relevant to all the items under a particular topic or when we wish to promote or market one of the sub-topics, the landing page is the place. For example, contact persons in an organizational unit, frequently asked questions, a general explanation and rationale for a work process, new content updated in the portal under this topic, etc.
Topic Summaries: As mentioned, the landing page allows you to add a brief explanation for each of the items in that topic. This allows the user to know in advance which content page to enter, especially when they are unfamiliar with the content area or if the item names are unclear enough. In this case, it is recommended that the summary for each item comes from the content page and is reflected on the landing page - thus eliminating the need for duplicate content updates. Additionally, it is essential to ensure that the link for further information is prominent and accessible and allows those not interested in reading the summary to access it easily.
Consistency: If we have decided to use landing pages, it is essential to maintain consistency and use templates so that the user clearly understands when there is a landing page when there is not and what type of landing page they have arrived at. For example, it can be decided that for each main topic in the navigation tree (level 1), there will be a landing page detailing the items of that topic (level 2). Still, there will be no landing page for a level 2 topic that also contains sub-topics (level 3). Alternatively, it can be determined that each level in the navigation tree has a landing page. Still, there are different types of landing pages - level 1 landing pages are different from level 2 landing pages, and so on.
In summary: A landing page is not a necessity - it is an auxiliary tool or a derivative of a need. Sometimes, due to technological constraints, it is not possible to do without landing pages, and then the goal should be to provide added value for the user, so that there is not just a feeling that they are transition pages. It is recommended to harness the unique design and content promotion capabilities of the landing page, inspiring creativity and innovation in the portal's design. It is crucial that the access from it to the content pages underneath is prominent and clear.
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