Once people are oriented, navigation principles determine whether they can actually get where they're going. Provide the appropriate navigation options at each decision point, enough links to cover what's needed, but not so many that people are overwhelmed. Avoid presenting too many options at once; progressive disclosure can group and hide subordinate links until they're needed. Keep wayfinding information clear and consistent across the entire space. Simplify navigation by grouping related links together, and make sure the links within each group are clearly distinguishable from one another.
For very large or complex spaces, consider providing an overview, a site map, directory, or index, as a supplementary aid. Jared Spool has argued that investing in a stronger core navigation system with better information scent delivers more value than adding a site map or breadcrumbs on top of a weak one. Jakob Nielsen counters that site maps and breadcrumbs still offer real, if secondary, value even when the core navigation is solid.
A navigation system with too many links looks generous. In practice, it just moves the cognitive burden from finding information to filtering options.
1: Avoid presenting too many navigation options at once. Twenty-two ungrouped top-level links is a direct violation of this principle, the complaint "I don't know where to start" is precisely the symptom this principle exists to prevent.
2: Links within a group must be clearly distinguishable. "Outdoor Living," "Outdoor & Patio," and "Garden & Outdoor" all sound like they could contain the same products. This principle exists specifically to prevent labels from overlapping to the point where users can't tell them apart.
Given the evidence in this scenario, the stronger case leans toward Spool's position: fix the core navigation first. Both user complaints point directly at structural problems, too many undifferentiated options, and overlapping labels, not at "the content is hard to find within an otherwise clear structure." Layering a site map on top of 22 confusing, overlapping-labeled links wouldn't resolve the confusion; it would just offer a second, parallel way to encounter the same unclear categories.That said, Nielsen's point isn't wrong in general, a site map can still have value once the core structure is sound, since some users specifically look for that kind of overview regardless of how good the navigation is. The lesson here is less about which expert is "right" and more about reading the specific evidence in front of you: this scenario's complaints point to a structural problem, so a structural fix should come before a supplementary one.