Every web consumer has used a drop down menu at some point or another. From filling in checkout and delivery details, to drop down navigation bars, it seems like this type of menu can help save space on screen, and organise information more effectively. But for mobile users, a drop down menu is not always the best option. So when should you use drop down menus in mobile web design? And when should these be avoided? And does this really make a difference? 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 everything you should know about mobile web design and drop down menus.
What are drop down menus?
Drop down menus are used to open a range of options underneath. When you’re selecting a country, entering a birth date or using a navigation bar online, you might have encountered this style of web design. This is an effective way to organise the information so that users ca see multiple options at once, and find what they need with ease. However, for mobile websites, the drop down menu can be a problem.
What are the disadvantages of drop down menus in mobile web design?
In mobile web design, the screen is a much smaller size and a totally different shape. This means that while its a good idea to store the information out of sight, until it is needed, a drop down menu might not the the best solution. Some problems include:
- Lack of hover option- websites on desktops frequently use a hover option to unlock the drop down options. This is impossible on a mobile device, where a user touch can only be registered as a click, or a hold. Not a hover. As a result, your mobile users will not be able to access any of the information within the drop down menu.
- Overwhelming the page- if you have a lot of website pages for example, as part of your navigation drop down menu, a mobile screen will quickly become overwhelmed with the amount of links. In fact, for some websites, users cannot even see the entire list in just one screen, and this can be a barrier to a positive user experience, increasing your website bounce rate.
- High interaction cost- scrolling through a drop down list can be awkward and time consuming for mobile users. For example, when searching through a selection of countries to choose from, the user needs to fist click the drop down tag, then scroll through while reading each option, before selecting the right choice. This can be difficult on a mobile screen, where the options can be very small, making it easy to accidentally click on the wrong country, and need to start the whole process again.
For more information or advice, or for high quality, professional web design solutions, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.