Sticky Menus Are Quicker To Navigate | Smashing UX Design. Advertisement Most designers would agree that navigation is one of the most critical components of a website. Despite this, it is not always easy to use or access. Traditionally, users must scroll back to the top of the website to access the navigation menu. I recently wondered whether sticky menus makes websites quicker to navigate, and I conducted a usability study to find the answer. Let’s look at the results of the study, a few implementation techniques and some related challenges.
Sticky Navigation Defined Sticky, or fixed, navigation is basically a website menu that is locked into place so that it does not disappear when the user scrolls down the page; in other words, it is accessible from anywhere on the website without having to scroll. Usability Study Research Conditions For the study, I created two test websites that were nearly identical. 1. 2. 100% Preferred Sticky Menus Without Knowing Why Desktop Software Navigation Menus Some Good Examples Getting Started Avoid iFrames Conclusion. Fixed Navigation Bars: Pros and Cons. Fixed or “sticky” navigation bars are a prevalent trend in some of the most shockingly beautiful sites across the web. These benignly set bars allow for ease of access to a website’s core functionalities, regardless of where a user may be in the midst of a page’s content. Yet there are more than a few critics of the fixed bar model.
The most common complaints include words like: “unnecessary” and “distracting” pitched about in regular intervals. Truthfully there are merits to both sides of the argument, and the proper use of fixed navigation bars remains a contextual and subjective matter. In other words, it’s largely a question of user preference that determines a fixed navigation bar’s effect on usability. There are, however, distinct advantages and disadvantages to their use. Advantages in usability The advantages to fixed navigation bars should be obvious. This is important for several reasons, but chief among them is speed. All the cool kids are doing it Examples. Responsive Web Design Patterns | This Is Responsive. Responsive Patterns A collection of patterns and modules for responsive designs. Submit a pattern Layout Reflowing Layouts Equal Width Off Canvas Source-Order Shift Lists Grid Block Navigation Single-Level Multi-level Breadcrumbs Pagination Images Responsive Image Techniques Media/Data Video Fluid Video Iframes Tables Charts & Graphs Responsive Chart Forms Basic Forms Text Lettering Fittext Footnotes Responsive Footnotes Modules Carousel Tabs Accordion Messaging Lightbox.
Useful List of Responsive Navigation and Menu Patterns. Having functional navigation that works on both mobile and desktop platforms is challenging. Should the mobile have fewer navigation options? Will the user figure out how to use it? What if you are converting an existing desktop site? Fortunately there is a growing number of stunning examples and tutorials to be found. Even with these it’s still difficult! 1. Desktop Layout Mobile content slides in. This new jQuery-based solution is under active development has been tested in a number of environments (including older Android phones). It uses CSS transforms where possible, and fallback to jQuery animate. I am now using this on a production site – it seems to work well. Link: 2. Desktop Layout Menu Equivalent mobile layout (after tapping the nav icon). A very clean Javascript solution (NOT dependent on jQuery) that uses CSS3 transitions.
Link: responsive-nav.com 3. Example slide in menu. No desktop image shown as there is no default desktop menu. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 10. Why We Banished the Hamburger Menu From Our iPhone App | Redbooth Blog. When we started working on a new chat feature for Redbooth’s iPhone app, our Product & Design team had some ulterior motives.
Yes, we were excited about giving our customers a way to connect instantly with their co-workers, even away from their desks and on the go. But we also saw an opportunity to rid the app of one of our biggest pet peeves: the dreaded hamburger menu. History of the Hamburger If you know a little about mobile design, you might already know that the “hamburger menu” is a frequently-used design trick for adding (or hiding) extra functionality somewhere off your main screens. You might also know that it’s terrible for user discovery and engagement, and that Apple discourages its use. “Remember, the three key things about an intuitive navigation system is that they tell you where you are, and they show you where else you can go.
So we had a challenge. Our “Customer” Research We invited employees from all departments to participate in our makeshift user research session. Auto-Hide Sticky Header. Auto-hide sticky header is a shot that shoots down two rabbits: makes site navigation easily accessible anywhere on the page and saves content space at the same. My client, Easy Shine, was happy to have this type of header for their website. I've also implemented this technique here, on my website (you can see it when the width of your viewport is below 768 px). Making header sticky A little bit of obvious HTML/CSS coding here, which makes the header stick to the top of the page, independently of the page scroll position. Now, how do we auto-hide the header? Auto-hiding header Auto-hide means hiding the header automatically when a user starts scrolling down the page and bringing the header back when a user might need it: they reach the bottom of the page or start scrolling up.
Reactive It is when the header directly and instantly reacts to the page scroll. The JS algorithm changes the value of CSS property top when page scroll is performed: Lazy In CSS we define what the class name means: Demo. Responsive Navigation | Examples of Navigation in Responsive Design. Complex Navigation Patterns for Responsive Design. The most frequently asked question I get since posting my responsive navigation patterns article is: How do I handle complex navigation for responsive designs?” Great question, but before we get down to brass tacks, I urge you: use mobile as an excuse to revisit your navigation. Look at your analytics. What are your experience’s key sections? Where are people spending most of their time?
Another thing: if you have a zillion sections and pages, prioritize search. OK, now that all that’s out of the way, time for some real talk. Sometimes you just have a complex navigation. The Multi-Toggle Barack Obama's Multi-Toggle Navigation from his redesigned campaign site The multi-toggle is basically just nested accordions.
Quick tip: use one of two emerging icons: the plus sign (+) or downward caret (▼ ▼) to let users know there’s more content. Pros Scannable – users can quickly scan parent categories before making a decision to go to the next level.Scalable – Got a menu that’s 17 levels deep? Animating max-height to overcome height:auto limitation. Responsive Navigation Patterns. Update: I’ve also written about complex navigation patterns for responsive design. Top and left navigations are typical on large screens, but lack of screen real estate on small screens makes for an interesting challenge. As responsive design becomes more popular, it’s worth looking at the various ways of handling navigation for small screen sizes.
Mobile web navigation must strike a balance between quick access to a site’s information and unobtrusiveness. Here’s some of the more popular techniques for handling navigation in responsive designs: There are of course advantages and disadvantages of each method and definitely some things to look out for when choosing what method’s right for your project. Top Nav or “Do Nothing” Approach One of the easiest-to-implement solutions for navigation is to simply keep it at the top. Pros Cons Height issues- Height matters in mobile. Responsive navigation breaking to multiple lines on small screens In the Wild Resources The Select Menu The Toggle In The Wild. Responsive Navigation Patterns.