json
{
"menu": {
"items": [
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 220,
"label": "Front",
"url": "https://www.20min.ch/video/aktuell",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 744,
"label": "Reportagen & Serien",
"url": "/video/serien",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 267,
"label": "Unterhaltung",
"url": "/video/unterhaltung",
"items": [
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 269,
"label": "Phils Fails",
"url": "/video/phils-fails",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 297,
"label": "Musik",
"url": "/video/musik",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 293,
"label": "Kino & Trailer",
"url": "/video/kino",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 1595,
"label": "Skills",
"url": "/video/skills",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 277,
"label": "PicClips",
"url": "/video/picclips",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 275,
"label": "Dies Das Ananas",
"url": "/video/dies-das-ananas",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 271,
"label": "Wins",
"url": "/video/wins",
"items": []
}
]
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 224,
"label": "News",
"url": "/video/news",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 248,
"label": "Sport",
"url": "/video/sport",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 313,
"label": "Wirtschaft",
"url": "/video/wirtschaft",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "link",
"id": "https://www.deal.ch",
"label": "Deal.ch",
"url": "https://www.deal.ch",
"target": "blank",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 341,
"label": "Lifestyle",
"url": "/video/lifestyle",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "content",
"id": 226552289443,
"label": "Live TV",
"url": "https://www.20min.ch/video/live-tv",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 22,
"label": "Lifestyle",
"url": "https://www.20min.ch/lifestyle",
"items": [
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 1060,
"label": "Front",
"url": "https://www.20min.ch/lifestyle/front",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 177,
"label": "Body & Soul",
"url": "/lifestyle/bodyandsoul",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 164,
"label": "Fashion",
"url": "/lifestyle/fashion",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 50,
"label": "Reisen",
"url": "/lifestyle/reisen",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 1064,
"label": "Beauty",
"url": "/lifestyle/beauty",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 179,
"label": "Living",
"url": "/lifestyle/living",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 51,
"label": "Auto & Mobilität",
"url": "/lifestyle/autoundmobilitaet",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 1310,
"label": "Eat & Drink",
"url": "/lifestyle/eatanddrink",
"items": []
}
]
},
{
"type": "link",
"id": "https://www.20min.ch/themen/politik",
"label": "Politik",
"url": "https://www.20min.ch/themen/politik",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "link",
"id": "https://www.20min.ch/themen",
"label": "Alle Themen",
"url": "https://www.20min.ch/themen",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "link",
"id": "https://epaper.20min.ch",
"label": "E-Paper",
"url": "https://epaper.20min.ch",
"target": "blank",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "content",
"id": 226552289443,
"label": "Live TV",
"url": "https://www.20min.ch/video/live-tv",
"items": []
},
{
"type": "channel",
"id": 103062880,
"label": "Leitlinien",
"url": "https://www.20min.ch/publizistische-leitlinien-20-minuten",
"items": []
}
]
}
}
Decoding the Digital Menu: An Expert’s Look at 20min.ch’s Navigation
Keywords: website navigation, user experience, content strategy, online news, UX design, 20min.ch
Time.news recently analyzed the menu structure of 20min.ch, a popular online news platform. To delve deeper into the implications of this structure and its impact on user experience, we spoke with Amelia Stone, a leading UX design consultant specializing in news media. Here’s what she had to say.
Time.news: Amelia, thanks for joining us. Looking at the 20min.ch menu, what’s your initial impression regarding its usability and effectiveness?
Amelia Stone: Thanks for having me. At first glance, the menu is quite thorough. It offers a wide array of options, wich can be both a strength and a potential weakness. The categories are diverse, covering everything from “Front” and “News” to “Lifestyle,” “Sport,” and even a dedicated section for “Phils Fails” under “Unterhaltung” (Entertainment).The inclusion of direct links like “Deal.ch” also stands out.
Time.news: The inclusion of both “channel” types and direct “link” types seems captivating. What’s your take on mixing these within the primary navigation?
Amelia Stone: Mixing channel types (internal sections of 20min.ch) with direct links to external sites like “Deal.ch” creates a mixed user experience. On one hand, it provides immediate access to potentially valuable resources. on the othre, it could momentarily disorient users who might not expect to be navigated off-site directly from the main menu. Clear visual cues can help manage this, such as an icon indicating an external link.
Time.news: We notice multiple “Lifestyle” sections, one at the top level and another nested with sub-categories. Is this potentially confusing from a website navigation standpoint?
Amelia Stone: This is a common challenge in website architecture. Having two “Lifestyle” sections, one as a top-level category and another further down, will likely cause some confusion.Users might struggle to understand the distinction between them and where specific lifestyle content resides. Ideally, these should be consolidated or very clearly differentiated through naming conventions (e.g., “Lifestyle Home” vs. “Lifestyle Categories”).
Time.news: Are there aspects of the 20min.ch menu that you find particularly effective? What are they doing right?
Amelia Stone: I appreciate the attempt to cater to diverse interests, reflected in the variety of categories. The inclusion of “Live TV” directly in the menu is a smart move, providing immediate access to a potentially high-engagement feature. Also, providing direct links to important pages such as “Politik”, “Alle Themen” (All Topics), and “E-Paper” are good for usability.
Time.news: Many news organizations are striving to improve user engagement. Based on this menu structure,what recommendations would you give 20min.ch to further enhance user experience and content discoverability?
Amelia Stone: Several areas could be optimized.first,reassess the “Lifestyle” duplication. Second, consider a more hierarchical structure to better organize the extensive options under “Unterhaltung”. “Skills,” “PicClips,” and “Wins,” for example, could potentially be grouped under more descriptive subcategories.Third, conduct user testing to identify areas where users struggle to find specific content. consistently applying visual cues,such as distinct icons for channels,external links,and video content,can significantly improve discoverability. User testing and data analysis are crucial for identifying bottlenecks in navigation. [2] showed that TIME significantly improved user engagement using audience optimization by making