ShallowNavigationDepth [constraint] v1.0.0

Navigation hierarchy depth must stay at 3 levels or fewer — pass: ≤3, warn: 4, block: ≥5.

Meta

• License: Apache-2.0
• License Provenance: package-authorship-claim

Metric

navigation depth in levels

Unit

count

Pass

<= 3

Warn

== 4

Block

= 5

Mitigation

Use progressive disclosure, search, and breadcrumbs to replace deep nesting. Merge shallow sibling categories. Favor flat navigation when the product has ≤ 7 top-level destinations (see rule-navigation-flat-when-shallow).

ShallowNavigationDepth [constraint] v1.0.0

Navigation hierarchy depth must stay at 3 levels or fewer — pass: ≤3, warn: 4, block: ≥5.

Meta

• License: Apache-2.0
• License Provenance: package-authorship-claim

Metric

navigation depth in levels

Unit

count

Pass

<= 3

Warn

== 4

Block

= 5

Mitigation

Use progressive disclosure, search, and breadcrumbs to replace deep nesting. Merge shallow sibling categories. Favor flat navigation when the product has ≤ 7 top-level destinations (see rule-navigation-flat-when-shallow).

Examples

• Good: Dashboard → Projects → Project Detail (3 levels)
• Good: Settings → Account → Billing (3 levels — acceptable for settings depth)
• Warn: Site → Category → Sub-category → Item → Detail (4 levels — review structure)
• Block: Portal → Module → Section → Sub-section → Item → Sub-item (6 levels — restructure required)

Relations

related: [@community/rule-navigation-flat-when-shallow]

Rationale

Deep navigation hierarchies force users to memorize paths, increase the chance of getting lost, and multiply the clicks required to reach content. Every nesting level adds cognitive load and a click. Most products can be organized in 3 levels or fewer: top-nav → section → item.