Disrupting Navigation: a Hidden Menu UX Case Study
21th October 2019
OVERVIEW
Hidden menus, like the “Hamburger Menu”, have been used in interaction design for years now, but are harming the user experience of the site itself. Thus, there needs to be a change in how navigation is handled to better the user experience and analytics for the client.
GOALS
- Discover why the hamburger menu is counterproductive.
- Provide good, clear research for future reference
- Test new navigation designs (derived from the research data)
- Report Findings
Current Issues
A Brief History
In 1981, Xerox produced the Xerox Star, a personal computer with a fully functioning GUI. Within the GUI, there was a menu button that had three stacked lines that would reveal a menu upon a click. This came to be known as the Hamburger menu and it was designed by Norm Cox. After the star, the hamburger menu disappeared until Apple revived it in 2007. From that point on, designers have been using this hidden navigation for an easy navigation handling.
Emerging Problems
People do not like to hear bad news, in this case, how hidden menus are counterproductive to both metrics and the user experience. What are these common problems? Hidden menus:
- Lack of Discoverability and Navigation
- Decrease in web conversions
- Inconsistent use in the Industry
These problems are known in the design community but are not recognized. Thus, there is no push to change and the use will continue.
Still in Use Today
So if these problems are such an issue why is it being still used today? To start off it is easy for the designer to design one menu for multiple platforms. When designing for different screens, a hidden menu is a designer’s dream! The fact that you can design one element and then fiddle with it of different platforms saves time and money. Secondly, trends are more attractive than logic. When people have to think less about completing a task, they are much happier which means the experience is better. Therefore, if something is used all over the internet, like a hamburger menu, it seems intuitive to used that same element. Sadly, this is not the case: something that is used often does not mean they are good. Finally, this method has become a design standard. Since 2007, the hamburger menu is still in use around the internet and that will change until a disruptive innovation in navigation is shared and used.
Research Methods and Materials
Methods
- Unmoderated & Moderated interviews
- SUS ( System Usability Scale)
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Heuristic Analysis
- Competitor audit
- User Testing
Materials
- Medium
- UX collective
- UX Planet
- Muzli
- Don’t Make Me Think – Steve Krug
- The Design of Everything Things – Don Norman
- Emotional Design: Why we love (or hate) everyday things – Don Norman
- Laws of Simplicity – John Maeda