About a month ago, we brought you an article detailing all the advantages of the hamburger menu. So, we thought it’s only fair that we also share the other side of the story. The disadvantages. When designing your website, or your mobile website, is a hamburger menu really the best option? It is simple, and it does save space, but is it really necessary? And are there other options that could be more effective? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design professionals. And we work with businesses and clients across Manchester and the North West, including Blackburn and Chorley. As a result, we have produced this guide to the disadvantages of the hamburger menu.
Disadvantages of the hamburger menu
The hamburger menu is famed for its simplistic design that is universally recognized, and used across all platforms. But while this may be true, it doesn’t mean that it is without disadvantages. Some of which include:
- hiding the navigation menu
- increasing the interaction cost
Hiding the navigation menu
The whole point of the hamburger menu is to hide the navigation bar and save space on the screen. So why would this be a disadvantage, when that’s what it was designed for? Well, by hiding the navigation menu, you are creating a couple of issues.
First of all, consider your users who have landed on your website looking for immediate answers. In the micro-moment. By removing the navigation bar from the first screen, you are increasing the time it takes for these potential consumers to find the information they need. And as a result, this can actually contribute to a negative user experience.
In addition, what about those users who are simply unobservant? Not every user will read your website, or even look at the entire contents on the page. They can easily miss the small three lines that indicate a hamburger menu, and in turn, they might move on to a different website. Skipping you out altogether.
Increasing the interaction cost
How much effort a website user has to put in to browsing your website has a direct impact on the overall user experience. A website that helps users find what they need, immediately, is always going to provide the best possible user experience. Unfortunately, a hamburger menu prevents this. First the user has to open the menu, and then click on the link they want. It might not sound like much, but it does double the time they spend looking. And this is not a good response to the immediacy that many users require.
Alternatives
So what are the alternatives? Well there are a couple, including:
- hot dog menus
- slide out menus
- vertical side bar menus
- horizontal menus across the top of the page
While some of these also come with an interaction cost, i.e. the hot dog menu and the slide out menu, they can be a fresh way to liven up your mobile web design. Where it will be difficult to include a vertical side bar menu, or a horizontal menu.
For more information or advice about web design, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.