When you look at a navigation menu on a website, it can be just like looking at a directory map in a mall. Without first knowing exactly where you are, you won’t be able to reach your destination. Web design is certainly no different. Navigation is especially important in this case, as it helps both the usability and user experience of a website.
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Navigation menus are important because they offer assistance in finding the information we are looking for on the website. Without a navigation menu that meets some expectations, this can make the website ineffective and unsuccessful in the long run.
Designing a navigation bar should always focus on the same goal: helping visitors to find information as fast as possible. Here are some navigation bar design ideas that you can consider and implement for yourself.
The Overall Information Architecture
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Information architecture is the first thing to be considered when it comes to navigation planning of any kind.
Begin by sitting down and brainstorming about this as much as possible, determining what is exactly that your website offers, what aspects are the most important, and what should go in the lower levels of the informational hierarchy.
The position of the Navigation Bar
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This is something extremely important, as different users follow different patterns when visiting a website. Most people generally follow a pattern similar to the “F” letter, so make sure you keep this pattern in mind when analyzing where exactly you should place your navigation bar.
Typically, you will want to place it either on the top of the website or on the top left-hand, side for easier access.
User-Friendly Terms
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It’s best to use a terminology that is simple and easy to understand rather than one that is difficult to comprehend in your navigation bar.
If your users have to spend longer than a couple seconds trying to figure out what one single word means, chances are they will move on to another way to find information that they are looking for and leave your site.
Don’t Overwhelm Your Users
Keep in mind that the basic role of a navigation bar is to provide all of your users with a choice.
If you give them too many options, chances are your users will become too overwhelmed and won’t be able to make a simple choice. Typically, you will want to include five to seven items for individuals to choose from.
Keep Everything Simple
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When placing your navigation bar, always use terms and phrases that are simple rather than complex. Typically, you will want to ensure that each navigational item is limited to 12 characters or less.
Just leave out anything that may be unnecessary and that doesn’t really add anything to your navigation bar.
Standardize the Navigation Design
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Always make sure that you use the same navigational model on all the pages of your website. If you don’t use the same model, a user may get the impression that he is visiting a completely different website.
Using the same navigational model will essentially prevent visitors from getting lost.
Show Users Where They Are
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It is important for your users to know where on your website they are at all times. This is something that you can achieve in a few different ways, from changing the color of the background to making the text bold in the navigation bar.
Place Calls to Action on the Right
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People oftentimes read from the right-hand side, which means that in terms of visiting websites, they often expect to see various action links on the right-hand side of the page, especially when it comes to a navigation bar.
This is because the right-hand side suggests moving forward. The left-hand side, on the other hand, should be reserved for more informational links.
Limit the Number of Categories
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Giving your users a lot of information is never a bad thing, yes this should be done in the smallest number of categories possible. Typically, seven is the highest amount that you should go with in terms of important categories added in the navigation bar.
Colors
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Color is one of the many different ways to help make your navigation bar much more effective. For instance, you can use color to highlight a particular active menu item or even construct a color scheme for various categories.
This is most certainly a great way to help your users become very familiar with different areas of your website while integrating your navigation bar in your overall design layout.
Final Thoughts
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It is important to start as simple as possible when selecting a navigation bar type. Be sure to evaluate all your content and ask questions like what your users will need to access more quickly than anything else on your website.
When you follow these and other principles, you will be able to create a user experience that is extremely enjoyable.
