I agree but I wouldn't call it don't make me think. That implies something different entirely.
You obviously have some knowledge of this field and I respect that. There is no best way however and I am still learning after over 10 years in the field. Users with "average" vision are dwindling and they too stumble on highly busy pages. You ask about alternatives to breadcrumbs and they do exist and can be more effective but for some reason, breadcrums became the norm. First, something really powerful is the page title. Next, there can be a little map of the site that shows where you are in the site and even where you've been that you can ask for. Yeah, don't make me click, but I'd rather click than be cluttered.
