Just a quick question, I'd really appreciate any information or suggestions on what the convention is regarding this. Assuming I have a fairly simple navigation bar (8 buttons maximum), is it the norm to have the current page's button visible, and if so should it be a link? I've read conflicting things such as it could be confusing/pointless having a link to a page you're already on as it's essentially redundant. My gut feeling is that it'd be less confusing if the navigation bar looks the same across all pages, but given my level of experience I'm in no position to say that with any authority. I expect there's no right or wrong answer, but if anyone could tell me what the norm is I'd appreciate it. Thanks for any advice.
You should keep navigation consistent whenever possible, on every page. The right answer is yes, keep a link to the current page otherwise the navigation will be different. Anyone who tells you otherwise has a less than basic grasp on usability.