Navigation to and from non-menu pages
Context
I'm working on a group management application that's built on a three-level information architecture;
- User
- Group(s)
- Content
A user can have multiple groups and every group has it's own content and settings. On a content level the UI is divided into a menu to the left with all content categories (media, pages, posts, etc) and the contents of this category to the right (all media for example).
The problem
The left menu shows the currently active page. However, there are pages that are not part of the menu. For example, group settings or group management (where users can switch, add and delete groups). They are not part of the menu since they are settings of the group and not content of the group. I'm struggling to design the navigation for pages that are not part of the left menu.
Question
How can I show users what the currently active page is when it is not a page from the menu?
Things I've considered;
- Adding group management to the menu as a content category
- Not showing the menu on a non-menu page
- Showing the menu but with no active page in it
I'm looking for a way to make it very clear and intuitive for users that they are on a non-menu page without rethinking the information architecture. It is important for users to know where they are, how they got there and where they can go next.
