menus Articles & Videos

  • Flat vs. Deep Hierarchies in Information Architecture (IA)

    Information can be structured in flat or deep hierarchies, each with their own set of benefits and drawbacks.

  • The UX of Phone Trees

    Phone trees are notoriously frustrating for 4 main reasons. There are many small ways to make them more usable and less miserable, however.

  • Navigation Menus - 5 Tips to Make Them Visible

    If users don't notice a navigation menu, they won't use it, and website usage will plummet. Here are 5 design guidelines to increase the visibility of navigation menus.

  • Footers Are Underrated

    There's a footer at the bottom of every web page, but the design of this utilitarian page element is often overlooked, making the website perform below its potential. In our usability studies, users often turn to page footers for important information and tasks, making them an integral part of the overall experience of a site.

  • How Many Items in a Navigation Menu?

    A key question in information architecture (IA) is to decide the number of items in navigation menus (including global menus and local menus). 4 main factors determine the answer, but it's not 7, despite a common myth.

  • Open vs. Closed Card Sorting

    There are two types of card sorting, which measure different aspects of users' mental models for information architecture.

  • Hick's Law: Designing Long Menu Lists

    Hick's Law (or the Hick–Hyman Law) says that the more choices you present to your users, the longer it takes them to reach a decision. However, combining Hick’s Law with other design techniques can make long menus easy to use.

  • Hamburger Menus Hurt UX Metrics

    Discoverability is cut almost in half by hiding a website’s main navigation. Also, task time is longer and perceived task difficulty increases.