Summary: People rely on menus to find content and use features. Use this checklist to make sure your menus do their job.
Too often, we observe users struggling with menus that are confusing, difficult to manipulate, or hard to find. Avoid common mistakes by following these guidelines for usable navigation menus.
Make Navigation Visible
This means that the hamburger menu (or any form of hiding the navigation categories under a single menu ) is not appropriate for desktop websites and apps. Out of sight means out of mind. The hamburger menu is a necessary evil on smaller screens, where we must balance content and navigation with limited screen real estate. Menus shouldn’t be hidden when you have plenty of space to display them.
Navigation serves roles beyond wayfinding; it helps users to understand the scope of your resources or content. If your navigation is hidden, users lose out on those context cues that tell them who you are and what you do.