Navigation Menu Structures

🥊 Top vs Side Navigation In Complex Products (https://lnkd.in/e54HWryC), with interesting thoughts on which 3-level menu navigation structure works better for a complex product, and how to decide which to use. By Taras Bakusevych. 🤔 On desktop, people often use relatively wide displays. ↳ Limited vertical space, abundance of horizontal space. ✅ Side navigation shows more relevant options at once. ✅ Top navigation hides some options behind tap/hover. ✅ Filters could work well both in the sidebar and on top. ✅ Side navigation → vertical scanning is easier, faster. 🤔 But: expanded side navigation takes a lot of space. ✅ Collapsible side drawers help make space if needed. ✅ Top navigation eventually runs out of space (“More”). ✅ Side nav works better for many top-level nav items. ✅ Side nav works better for a tree/folder structures. ✅ If possible, always open/close menus on tap/click. ✅ Hover: use Amazon’s triangle pattern for accuracy. 🚫 Don’t rely on icon alone: add text labels for icons. 🚫 Don’t rely on hover alone: support tap/click menus. So how do we decide which option works best for a given project? Typically websites rely on top navigation, while applications often use collapsible layers of side navigation. But personally, I would ask 3 simple questions: 1. How much space do we need to display content well? 2. How many navigation options do we have on top level? 3. What tasks do users perform in the product most? If we will be displaying a dashboard with customizable widgets, or a map, or a complex data grid with dozens of columns, then we need to either go for a collapsible side drawer, or top navigation. If it's mostly text content, top navigation will work, unless we want to show the siblings of a page in a sidebar. But then if users perform only a small number of tasks and rarely navigate between sections, top navigation might work perfectly well. Navigation shouldn’t get in the way of people completing tasks or accessing content. But if we expect users to explore vastly different views and sections on any given day, we can achieve faster navigation with a side navigation, and allow users to collapse it to make space if necessary. In a way, every product is like a city. There are “hubs”, flows, features and actions that are very frequently used by different users. These frequent areas of use must be accessible at all times, fast — hiding them behind a “Menu” button doesn’t help anyone. Ultimately, in my experience, both options could work fairly well. It’s really a matter of good IA work and showing what matters when users actually need it. If we fail at both, we might have a fast and seemingly “obvious” navigation that only helps users fail faster. (Useful resources in comments ↓)

Hamburger vs. Bottom Nav Bar: Choosing the Right Fit for Your Mobile App The hamburger menu (☰) and bottom navigation bar have become staples of mobile app design. But when to use which?🤔 Understanding User Behavior:👀 Hamburger Menu: Great for apps with a single core function, where secondary options can be tucked away for a cleaner interface (e.g., Uber, Google Maps). However, it can lead to decreased discoverability of features. Bottom Navigation Bar: Perfect for apps with 3-5 core functionalities that users need constant access to (e.g., social media, e-commerce). It promotes easy navigation and keeps users oriented within the app. Making Informed Decisions:💬 Don't follow trends blindly! Consider your app's core purpose and user needs. Focus on a Single Task? Hamburger menu might be the way to go.💡 Multiple Key Features? Bottom navigation bar shines here.✨ Beyond the Basics: Clarity is Key: Ensure clear and recognizable icons for both navigation styles. Context Matters: Consider hiding the bottom bar in specific scenarios (e.g., reading an article) to avoid clutter. The Takeaway: Hamburger menus and bottom navigation bars are both valuable tools. By understanding their strengths and weaknesses, you can choose the navigation style that best serves your app's purpose and optimizes the user experience. Let's Discuss! What are your experiences with these navigation options? Share your thoughts in the comments!💗

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘂 𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗳𝘆? That’s the question I asked myself recently when one of my clients asked me to rebuild their megamenu and mobile drawer. For anyone unfamiliar, a “linklist” is Shopify’s technical term for the navigation menus you configure in your store admin. They used to live under the Online Store sales channel. Now they sit inside the Content section alongside metaobjects, files, and blog posts. Linklists were great because they supported nesting out of the box. But they were also restrictive. Each item only has two fields: 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 and 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸. So over the years, Shopify developers have built all kinds of hacks to push beyond that limitation - overloading labels, manipulating URLs, forcing structure just to get richer layouts like images, split columns, featured content, etc. Then I started thinking… Since we now have 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀, why not skip linklists entirely? Before blocks supported nesting, this wouldn’t have been realistic. Linklists allowed 3 levels of nesting, while blocks were flat. But now blocks support nesting up to 8 levels deep. That’s significantly more flexibility than linklists ever offered. Which raises a bigger question: Should navigation live at the store level - or inside the theme? Linklists are stored at the store level and injected into the theme. But a navigation system built entirely with Theme Blocks lives in the theme itself. It's represented with JSON code, making it more version-controlled, programmable, and portable. It has way more benefits than drawbacks if you ask me. In many cases, your navigation structure is tightly coupled to your theme architecture anyway. So does it actually make sense to separate them? Menus today aren’t just simple text links anymore. They’re structured UI systems. Yet Shopify hasn’t evolved linklists to match that reality. In this case, the client was more than happy to migrate everything directly into the theme - unlocking significantly more control and customisation. But I’m curious… Am I missing a strong reason to keep navigation at the store level?

I found a client's bestseller buried in a 47 item dropdown. But it drove 90% of their sales. This is choice overload in action. Psychologist Barry Schwartz proved that too many options paralyze decisions. When faced with overwhelming choices, customers don't choose better. They choose nothing. Our client had exactly this problem. Their "Shop" dropdown listed dozens of products with no hierarchy. Just an alphabetical wall of text. Their flagship product sat somewhere in the middle. Invisible. The serial positioning effect explains why this matters. We remember the first and last items in any list. Everything in the middle blurs together. So we restructured their navigation. Core products moved to the first and last positions. Secondary items organized by customer intent, not internal categories. Result: $1.4 million in additional annual revenue. Same products, same traffic, and same checkout. The only change was removing a psychological barrier customers couldn't articulate. Your customers make 35,000 decisions daily. By the time they reach your site, they're already exhausted. The fix is simpler than you think: Limit top-level nav to 7 items (the brain's processing limit). Put your most important items first and last. Structure around customer goals, not internal departments. Don't ask them to work harder. Guide them to what they need.

Most e-commerce brands are killing sales through their navigation without realising it. After auditing hundreds of stores across fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands, we've identified the single biggest conversion killer that costs retailers thousands in lost revenue every month. Your navigation structure. We see brands spending enormous budgets driving high-intent traffic to websites where visitors can't find what they're looking for within three seconds. The problem isn't your products or your pricing - it's how you've organised your site. Here's what we discovered: most navigation is built around internal categories, not buyer behaviour. When someone visits your site thinking "I need a gift for my sister's birthday," they're forced to decode category names like "Accessories" or hunt through generic "Products" sections. Think about your own shopping habits. You don't browse by internal logic - you shop with specific intentions, occasions, or problems to solve. Last quarter, we restructured a client's navigation around buyer intent instead of product categories. Before: Eight confusing category names that reflected their warehouse organisation. After: Clear pathways based on how people actually shop - "Shop by Occasion," bestsellers prominently displayed, intuitive filtering by what matters to buyers, and one-click access to trending items. The impact on user behaviour was immediate. Visitors stopped hunting and started buying. Time on site increased by 34%, and conversion rates jumped by 18% within the first month. The difference comes down to psychology, not just organisation. High-intent shoppers arrive ready to purchase, but they'll bounce if they can't quickly understand your site structure. Your navigation should guide visitors naturally toward decisions, not force them to solve puzzles about your internal systems. The most successful e-commerce sites work like experienced salespeople - they anticipate what customers need and make the path to purchase effortless. Your homepage navigation is prime real estate. Every second a visitor spends trying to understand your categories is a second closer to them leaving for a competitor. What's the first thing visitors see when they land on your homepage? Does your navigation help them buy, or does it make them think too hard?

In today's content-rich digital environments, efficient navigation is paramount. Users expect to find what they need quickly and effortlessly. This is where mega menus shine, offering a powerful solution to streamline navigation and get users where they need to go faster. What are Mega Menus? Mega menus are expanded dropdown menus that display a large amount of information in a visually organised layout. Unlike traditional drop downs, they can accommodate multiple columns, images, icons, and even embedded content. How Mega Menus Enhance User Experience: Improved Information Architecture: Mega menus allow for a clear and comprehensive overview of website content, reducing the need for users to dig through multiple layers of navigation. Enhanced Discoverability: By presenting a wide range of options at a glance, mega menus help users discover relevant content they might otherwise miss. Reduced Cognitive Load: Organising content into logical categories and subcategories within a mega menu simplifies decision-making and reduces user frustration. Visual Appeal: Mega menus can incorporate visual elements, such as images and icons, to enhance visual appeal and make navigation more engaging. Faster Access: Users can quickly scan the menu and access desired content with fewer clicks, leading to a more efficient user journey. Mobile Adaptability: Though more challenging on mobile, well designed mega menus can be adapted or replaced with other mobile friendly navigation patterns. Best Practices for Mega Menu Design: Clear Categorisation: Organise content into logical and intuitive categories. Visual Hierarchy: Use visual cues like size, color, and spacing to prioritize information. Concise Language: Keep menu labels short and descriptive. Visual Aids: Incorporate images, icons, and other visual elements to enhance clarity. Responsive Design: Ensure the mega menu is responsive and adapts to different screen sizes. Testing and Iteration: Conduct user testing to identify areas for improvement and refine the menu design. When to Use Mega Menus: Mega menus are particularly effective for websites with: Large amounts of content. Complex information architectures. E-commerce platforms with extensive product catalogs. Websites that require quick access to a wide range of resources. By implementing well-designed mega menus, you can significantly improve your website's navigation, enhance user experience, and drive user engagement. #ux #uidesign #navigation #megamenu #userexperience #webdesign #usability #informationarchitecture

Day 10: My Website Confuses Customers Instead of Guiding Them Client: "Website has everything. But people keep asking basic questions we already answered." Spent 5 minutes on his site. I was confused too. Homepage: Three headlines fighting. Which matters? Products: 47 options. No categories. Where do I start? Tried finding pricing. Checked menu. Not there. Scrolled. Not there. Clicked Services. Still not there. Is pricing secret? Found "Solutions." Organized by industry. Also by size. Also by feature. Three different ways. Which is right? Clicked product. Seven tabs: Features, Benefits, Specs, Use Cases, FAQ, Resources, Docs. Which first? Wanted to compare. No tool. Opened 4 tabs, switched back and forth. Why so hard? Every action created more confusion. Not clarity. The Problem: They added everything. But organized nothing. Info overload: Too much, too fast | No hierarchy: Everything screams equally | Hidden basics: Pricing, contact buried | Multiple paths: 5 ways to same thing | No guidance: Figure it out yourself | Competing CTAs: 8 buttons one page | Missing tools: No search, filters, comparison What We Reorganized (3 Days): Homepage: One headline. One primary CTA. One clear path. Products: 3 categories. Added filters. Comparison tool. "Not sure? Take 1-min quiz." Pricing: Added to menu. Visible homepage. Clear table with "Most Popular." Product pages: 3 tabs: "What it does" | "Pricing" | "Get Started." Rest collapsed. Navigation: 9 items → 5. Clear: Products, Pricing, Resources, About, Contact. Search: Prominent. Suggested searches: "Pricing" "Compare" "Contact." Breadcrumbs: "Home > Products > Category > Item" Smart suggestions: "Looking for X? Try Y" | "People who viewed this also need..." Results (45 Days): Before: 2,600 visitors | 73% bounce | 3.2 pages/session | 9 conversions | 127 support emails (basic questions) After: 2,600 visitors | 31% bounce | 6.4 pages/session | 76 conversions | 23 support emails Same traffic. Better organization = 8.4x conversions. 82% fewer confused customers. The Confusion Test: Give your site to someone new. No instructions. Watch them: Find pricing. Compare products. Contact you. Buy. Count clicks, confusion, giving up moments. That's what real visitors experience. → One primary message per page → Simple navigation (5-7 items max) → Visible search → Organized categories → Comparison tools → Breadcrumbs → Smart suggestions → Progressive disclosure (simple first, details later) The Truth: More information ≠ Better experience. 47 products without organization = Overwhelming 7 tabs on page = Decision paralysis Confusion is the #1 conversion killer. Your job isn't to show everything you have. It's to guide people to what they need. Less options, better organization = More conversions. "I have 47 products" isn't impressive. "I helped you find the right one in 30 seconds" is. Stop adding more. Start organizing better. Is your website clear or confusing? 

📌 How Do You Design And Optimize Menus To Enhance Usability And User Experience? A website menu is not decoration. It is direction. It tells users where to go and what matters most. When menus are clear, users feel confident. When menus are confusing, users feel stuck—and they leave. So, let's understand this... 1. The Menu Is the First Conversation Before users read your content, they read your menu. In seconds, they decide whether your website feels easy or stressful. A good menu quietly says, “You’re in the right place.” A poor one creates doubt early. 2. Start With User Intent Menus should reflect user goals, not internal structure. Users don’t care about departments. They care about solutions. Design menu items around problems users want to solve and actions they want to take. 3. Keep It Short and Focused More links do not mean more value. Too many options slow decisions. Limit top-level menu items to what truly matters. Simplicity helps users move faster. 4. Use Simple and Clear Words Menus are not the place to be clever. Avoid fancy labels. Use words users already understand. Clear language reduces confusion and hesitation. 5. Create a Clear Visual Order Users scan menus quickly. Place important links where eyes naturally go first. Use spacing and order to guide attention. 6. Group Related Pages Together When similar pages are grouped under one category, users don’t have to guess. Logical grouping reduces effort and makes navigation predictable. 7. Design Mobile Menus First Most users visit websites on phones. Menus must be easy to tap and close. Poor mobile menus cause frustration and quick exits. 8. Highlight Key Actions Clearly Primary actions like Contact, Book a Call, or Get Started should stand out. These links guide users toward conversion without pressure. 9. Stay Consistent Across the Website Menus should behave the same on every page. Sudden changes confuse users. Consistency builds trust. 10. Improve With Real User Data Use analytics, heatmaps, and feedback to understand how users interact with menus. Small changes can improve engagement. Final Thought : Great menus don’t draw attention to themselves. They support the journey. When users don’t think about navigation, they focus on value, trust the brand, and act. Question for You: What menu mistake do you see most often that makes a website hard to use? Follow Jitendra kumar for more thoughts. Repost in your group if you like this post. Hi, I’m Jitendra kumar. ------------------------------------------------------------------ I’m a website designer and developer. I help businesses and coaches double their revenue through strategically designed websites. Let’s design your website—send me a DM to get started!

💡 How to design information architecture (5-step checklist) Information architecture is the practice of organizing, structuring, and labeling content in an effective way. Creating an effective information architecture is crucial if you want to design intuitive website or app. Here is a checklist to guide you through the design process of information architecture: 1️⃣ Understand user needs & context of interaction Understand who your target user, their mental model, and how they interact with the information you have. ✔ Create user personas that represent your target audience ✔ Conduct user research to gather insights into user needs, behaviors, and goals to understand mental model (https://lnkd.in/dhCPA5T9)  ✔ Map out user journeys to understand the paths users take to achieve their goals 2️⃣ Content inventory & audit Analyze the content you have at a moment ✔ Perform a content inventory to list all the items (pages, files, videos, etc.) on your site or app ✔ Conduct a content audit to evaluate the quality and relevance of your content ✔ Identify gaps in your content that need to be filled to meet user needs 3️⃣ Content categorization & structuring Categorize content into groups that make sense to your target audience ✔ Define the main categories of your content based on user needs and content audit findings ✔ Decide on the navigation schemes (e.g., hierarchical, sequential, matrix) based on the user's tasks ✔ Develop a labeling system that works well for the user (aligned with user language) ✔ Conduct card sorting sessions with your target audience to evaluate the labeling system (https://lnkd.in/d96mcwFJ) 4️⃣ Design navigation that reflects the structure of your content Build a navigation system that helps the user navigate through the content   ✔ Structure navigation hierarchically (from general to specific) ✔ Design a global navigation system that allows easy access to the main sections ✔ For complex navigation structures, use breadcrumbs to help users understand their current location and navigate back through the hierarchy ✔ Ensure the navigation system is both consistent across the site or app and scalable so it can accommodate the needs of your project 5️⃣ Usability testing Conduct usability tests to see how easily users can navigate your site or app and find information (measure both findability and discoverability) ✔ Use realistic test scenarios that reflect typical tasks users would perform on your site or app ✔ Collect quantitative data (e.g., task completion rates, time on task) and qualitative feedback (e.g., user comments, suggestions) 📖 Guides ✔ A practical guide to information architecture (by Donna Spencer) https://lnkd.in/dm9CE-TU ✔ Information architecture guide for product designers (YouTube) https://lnkd.in/dzJKXe8s 🖼️ Product Information Architecture by Yegor Mytrofanov #UX #design #uxdesign #productdesign

Week 5 of building out our design system, let's talk Menu. When you hear “menu,” what comes to mind? Think: options, sub-actions, shortcuts, all organized in a compact space. Menus help us manage lists in ways that are intuitive and scalable. For this system, we’ve identified two broad menu directions: 1. Vertical Menus These can show up as sidebars, dropdowns, or stacked options. We’re organizing vertical menu components around three naming conventions: Type: Contexts like dropdown, left-aligned, etc. Structure: Layouts like cards or lists Behavior: States like default, hover, or disabled Also, to reduce clutter in the asset panel, a small trick I’m using... prefixing component names with a period (.) hides them from the library. Super handy. 2. Horizontal Menus These are like tab navigations; rows of items that help users toggle between views or categories. You’ll find them in dashboards, apps, or tab components. Real-world examples? Right-clicking in Figma... that’s a menu The three-dot menu in Gmail... another one Dropdowns from user profile icons... menu again Basically, menus are everywhere. That’s why we’re building ours to be as flexible and adaptable as the contexts they’ll live in. If you’d love to dig deeper, Carbon Design’s guide helped me clarify a few patterns, check it out here - https://lnkd.in/dVGr43ye Quick tip: In Figma, hitting “Y” lets you annotate screens directly, a feature some designers miss since it lives in Dev Mode. Super handy when documenting flows. That’s it from me this week. This system is shaping up beautifully, and I’m so excited to see how other designers will use it. Are you also building a design system? What are your biggest challenges with menus or navigation? Have an amazing week!