The navigation bar, menu, or navigation menu is an important feature of any website. This is where your users will look for links to different pages of your website, which might have the more specific details they are looking for, about your products or services. Being able to navigate to these pages quickly and easily is an important part of the user experience. And that’s why choosing the right option for your navigation bar is so important. But what are the different options available? And how can you make the most use out of your chosen menu design? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design experts. We work with companies and businesses across Manchester, and the surrounding area, including Wigan and Southport, to provide web design solutions that can help businesses grow. As a result, we have produced this guide to the different options for navigation menu design.
Different options for navigation menu design
If you want to make sure that your website attracts potential customers, and meets their needs, you need to be mindful of the different navigation options available. Choosing the right option for your website, and your target audience, will help to make your website more successful. So, what are these different options? And what do you need to bear in mind?
- Horizontal static navigation bar
- Vertical static navigation bar
- Hamburger menu
- Slide out menu
Horizontal static navigation bar
One of the most popular types of navigation menu is the static navigation bar. This is usually positioned horizontally across the top of the page, in an above the fold position. This is very effective as people looking to move quickly through your website will have quick access to different pages on different links. However, for mobile devices, this navigation bar can often be too small, which means that it is very difficult to push the buttons. You may need to consider a different option for smaller screen sizes.
Vertical static navigation bar
Very similar to the horizontal navigation bar, the vertical navigation bar is also static, and so is displayed at all times. However, this runs from top to bottom down the side of the page, instead of left to right.
Hamburger menu
This navigation option hides the menu itself under a universally recognized symbol. The hamburger symbol. Three lines one on top of the other, are the only features of this icon. But it has been used for many years to denote a list of options that will be revealed when clicked. This is great for saving space on your website, but it does have an additional interaction cost that can have a negative impact on your users experience.
Slide out menu
The slide out menu, or swipe menu, is another potential option. This hides the menu off screen, that can be revealed by swiping across. As a result, there is more space on the screen for key design features. However, this can mean that some users might miss your menu altogether, if they dont know where to look.
For more information about web design and navigation, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester. Manchester’s leading web design experts.