Exposing dropdowns in nav bar

Question

Our team is currently debating on which navbar layout they should go with. The main discussion point is whether we should expose dropdowns on the navbar.

These dropdowns are for selecting a customer and campaigns created under the customer. In the first layout, they are positioned next to navbar items.

Layout 1

And we have another version that keeps customer/campaign selectors under the settings panel.

Layout 2

Those who support the first proposal thinks that it is inconvenient to open the settings panel to check & change a current customer and campaign.

Those who support the second proposal think that the inconvenience from opening the settings panel is insignificant therefore keeping it under the settings panel for less visual clutter. Moreover, they support this idea because it is “safer” from various screen sizes as it ensures the adequate amount of spacing among navbar elements.

What do you guys think about the pros and cons of each layout and which one would you go with?

Answer 1

I think the 2nd option would be a better layout because fundamentally we should group buttons for the same purposes together.

What you have on 1st option is clean but it's difficult for users to differentiate between what FreeMedia/ Edmoton buttons do, despite having the drop down arrow. The drop down arrow is a visual cue that will confuse users on the NavBar because (if we follow standards on web applications) users would already expect some form of dropdown in that header space.

The 2nd option is neat too and conforms to standard practices of how most web apps look like. Users will be more comfortable seeing similar layout doing the same functions.

So in all I'd go with the 2nd option.

Answer 2

2nd Option. This version of navigation is more self-explanatory to a new user. Even if you go with the first option, when the product scales and menu items increases, you will have to fall back to the 2nd option as it has better grouping and saves valuable real estate.