Questions tagged [menu]
A menu is a list of commands presented to an operator by a computer system
581
questions
86
votes
9answers
93k views
What is this side menu called that can be found in many multi-touch apps, and where does it originate from?
It can be found for example in the YouTube and Facebook app.
77
votes
8answers
15k views
What's the best way to view a deep hierarchy?
I've been pondering the best way to show a deep hierarchy for a desktop application I'm working on. Here are some alternative designs I'm considering...
Mac OSX Finder:
If you understand what you're ...
76
votes
2answers
37k views
What is the significance of the three dots “…” on menus and buttons and how to use them right?
Adding three dots after the title of items in a dropdown menu seems to be a common practice (as you can see on the picture of a drop down menu in Google Chrome). They generaly mean that there is "...
73
votes
6answers
14k views
Don't hide or disable menu items?
In 2008, Joel Spolsky wrote:
A long time ago, it became fashionable, even recommended, to disable
menu items when they could not be used.
Don't do this. Users see the disabled menu item that ...
57
votes
8answers
21k views
Is 'Home' button still a must?
I was wondering if the 'Home' button is still a must on a website menu, or are users already used to clicking on the Logo?
There is a qustion on ux.stackexchange.com about this topic - Home button vs ...
50
votes
7answers
7k views
Why do most programs separate Find and Replace dialogs?
Why do most programs separate Find and Replace dialogs? Obviously, I'm talking about apps like text editors and word processors, apps that are used for editing content.
It just seems strange, at best,...
41
votes
5answers
19k views
Should we use the 3x3 9-dots icon as an apps menu?
As the web continues to evolve and more complex applications emerge, there is a need to let the user quickly navigate between applications. This action is different from the navigation menu we see ...
38
votes
7answers
10k views
In burger menus, should “Logout” always be at the bottom and why?
I noticed this while using websites that require login/logout - I get used to accessing the "Logout" button at the bottom of the menu. For example:
On burger menu, the logout option will always be at ...
36
votes
12answers
10k views
Hover over a disabled item to know why it's disabled. What do you think?
How many times did you use a desktop app or an online page and you come across one or more menu items which are disabled and you have no idea why its disabled. Using help or documentation is of no use....
31
votes
6answers
28k views
Mobile website menu. Should hamburger menu be on left or the right?
Quite a while ago we decided to move our hamburger menu (I know they are evil but we got stupid amount of subcategories) to the right. Reasoning behind that was based on accessibility and in indoors ...
30
votes
4answers
35k views
Top menu vs Side menu on dashboard
I'm designing an admin dashboard and this came to my mind.
Should I use a side menu or a top menu?
Why? What's the main difference for the user experience?
When using a top menu it looks more ...
28
votes
3answers
25k views
What is the difference between the horizontal three dots menu and the vertical one?
First of all, does anyone know the name for this type of navigation?
And second of all, what is the difference between these two? In what case you use the vertical one and in what case the ...
26
votes
7answers
2k views
Help menu - “?” or “Help”?
It is a very simple question, but it has been bothering me for quite some time: when creating an application, should the help menu (in the menu bar) be called "?" or "Help"?
I can see a few ...
26
votes
1answer
618 views
How to handle “consistency” when the meaning of the word isn't…consistent?
We are currently beta testing a new top bar design on meta for the Stack Exchange network.
There is an ongoing discussion about "consistency" and the top bar behavior when one clicks on an element. ...
25
votes
7answers
2k views
Are hover menus in headers easy to use?
Do users find it easy to use headers/menus like the one displayed below?
23
votes
5answers
1k views
Any thoughts on a seasonal navigation?
We're considering changing some items in the menu based on the season. For example, during the winter, in the sports section of our site, it means removing 'Golf' in the menu and adding it in the '...
23
votes
7answers
4k views
Based on what criteria do you add/not add icons to labels within a toolbar?
Some toolbars have icons for each label, and some toolbars do not have icons for any label. There is enough discussion about that.
However, some toolbars will attach icons to label selectively, and ...
22
votes
5answers
31k views
What the difference between the 2 menu icons: 3-dots (kebab) and 3-lines (hamburger)
What the difference (if there is any...) between these 2 menu icons?
1) 3 lines (a.k.a burger icon)
2) 3 dots (a.k.a kebab icon)
22
votes
3answers
15k views
Are there alternatives to hamburger + drawer menus?
On the internet there is a lot of bashing on the Hamburger Icon & the matching Nav Drawer.
I realize it sometimes might be a pattern which should be avoided when simpler, more explicit options ...
22
votes
6answers
9k views
How to best indicate navigation menu on mobile
What's the best way to indicate the navigation menu on mobile devices?
I see this three-bar icon being used a lot, but do users really understand what it means?
Wouldn't a button simply saying "...
21
votes
2answers
4k views
Why do websites use a graphic instead of the HTML entity `≡` for the menu icon? [closed]
Every time I see a website with a menu or a navigation bar, i see the three dash menu button?. And they always use an icon, .gif, .png etc... But there is an HTML entity for that: ≡ -> &...
21
votes
5answers
3k views
Will users know to click the top item in navigation menu?
I've got a navigation menu on my website which has several levels of submenu.
In the example pictured below I'd like users to be able to click "Services" in the top level menu and go to a "services" ...
21
votes
4answers
26k views
Adding “Select…” as first option (placeholder) of dropdown list
Would it be considered a good practice to add the word "Select..." as the first option of a dropdown list? I think it's redundant and not at all necessary and what is in the dropdown list should be ...
20
votes
4answers
6k views
How to explain to director that a multilevel dropdown menu isn't a good idea
My director and designer want to make a big drop-down menu on our site. Multilevel menu :
| MENU 1 | MENU 2 | MENU 3 | MENU 4 |
-----------------|----------------|-----...
19
votes
4answers
3k views
What are good rules for naming menu items? [closed]
I'm establishing some style guidance for naming items which are accessed from my application's menu bar.
What are the commonly accepted rules for naming menu items?
When should the names of the ...
19
votes
6answers
2k views
Why is there a convention on the web for dropdown menus on hover instead of on click?
This is something I've always wondered. On all major operating systems, application menus (File/Edit/View etc) only appear on click. However, nearly every web site that uses a drop-down menu ...
19
votes
7answers
4k views
User Profile, My Account, or just Settings?
I am writing a little webapp, and am stuck on a UI hangup. I have a global menu bar at the top of the screen, that when the user is signed in consists of:
Signed in as Joe User (with username as ...
19
votes
3answers
5k views
Horizontal and vertical menus in web applications
It is now very common to find top horizontal menus in websites. Some reason of that might be habits and Jakob's law.
In web applications you might find a menu on top or on the left side equally. Most ...
19
votes
2answers
2k views
Where should the “preferences” item go in a desktop application?
I find that the "preferences" menu item is always in a different place, and often under an arbitrary name which always makes it a pain to locate unless you're already familiar with the software.
I ...
19
votes
5answers
4k views
Menu with dropdown, root element clickable?
I have two options for a dropdown but I'm not sure which one is the best from an usability standpoint. In option (A) there is a explicit "Our services" link which goes to a page with general ...
18
votes
6answers
7k views
What is this menu with multiple levels called and should I use it?
What is the above menu called? This menu is similar to one that appears on bookmarks for Google Chrome.
What are the pros and cons of using this pattern?
I'm planning to use this pattern in the ...
18
votes
5answers
6k views
Use of TWO hamburger menus in mobile app
I have a client who INSISTS on using TWO hamburger menus in their app: one in the top left, one in the top right. This is to basically mirror functionality from two related websites: one uses the left ...
18
votes
4answers
2k views
Toolbar buttons - to be or not to be?
I need to create a toolbar for my application, and let's assume that due to external constraints it must be a regular toolbar, not a ribbon. The application itself has a significant number of ...
17
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the name for the horizontal tabs expanding / contracting kind of navigation?
Can somebody tell me if there is a name for this kind of tab navigation implementation?
17
votes
6answers
10k views
Usability research on sticky headers?
Sticky (or fixed) headers are not so uncommon nowadays, and for a large website that relies heavily on catalog and search functionality it may be a good choice to aid the user.
As I am currently ...
16
votes
5answers
3k views
How to represent level of difficulty while selecting a game?
I am working on a menu to select from various (3) game variants shown from top to bottom, each variant offering different difficulty levels.
The difficulty will be selected by swiping (touch input ...
15
votes
5answers
2k views
Three tabs, each containing settings of increasing complexity - what should they be called?
I'm designing a web app. The settings menu consists of 3 tabs. For context, the user make an input, and the app generates an image.
The first tab has very basic settings that even the least ...
15
votes
2answers
4k views
Custom right click context menu on a web site
Are right click context menus that override the browsers context menu considered a good usability practice?
If so, are there accessibility concerns?
If so, are there any guidelines or best practices ...
14
votes
2answers
5k views
Fixing UI Antipattern “multiple menu levels”
My brain seems to be pre-programmed to make administrative UI's look like the mockups below.
In the mockups I have 3 levels of navigation, with on the form another set of buttons for the form actions....
14
votes
5answers
5k views
Which is better, Side Menu or Fixed Bottom Menu?
Currently I'm designing an android app that has 4 main menus without extra sub-menus (just simple menus like Home, My Loans, History, Settings). This app is a financial product to help users acquire ...
14
votes
4answers
7k views
Is it bad practice to use Guillemets (laquo and raquo) on links?
Is it bad practice to use the HTML entities of the guillemets « («) and » (») on links?
Originally they're used in many languages like French and Spanish to indicate ...
13
votes
6answers
1k views
What is more pleasing to the eye fade in or suddently appear
I have a pop up menu. What is said to be easier on the users' eyes? Should I just have it appear immediately using visibility = true or should I have it fade in using opacity animation?
13
votes
5answers
2k views
Term for menu that appears at the top of many webpages
What is the term for the menu that appears at the top right of many webpages? Here are two examples:
13
votes
4answers
636 views
Redundant behaviors in context menu
In the menu hierarchy tree of file managers such as Windows Explorer, why are redundant behaviors of "expand" "collapse" folders given in context menu when the user can anyways click the + or - icon ...
12
votes
4answers
1k views
Better approach to blue/underlined for link?
We have a web application that allows users to query a database.
The results are returned in a breadcrumb style interface.
We brought this change in at a new version, and assumed it was self-...
12
votes
8answers
5k views
Which side of a web page should a side menu go on?
Many websites have side menus and I seem some have the side menu on the right and some on the left.
Which side is better?
12
votes
6answers
2k views
full-color icons vs. greyed-out icons in menus
Icons in menus are often full-color. Even though the page an icon/menu item controls is not active, the icon still appears in its normal hues. To distinguish the icon which is active, a designer will ...
12
votes
2answers
440 views
Are there any studies that show the quickest mental processing for capitalization of header menu items for a website.
In header menus on websites, is it best practice to capitalize header items?
Home | Members | About Us | Contact Us
To Captitalize the first letter
Home | Members | About us | Contact us
Or to use ...
12
votes
4answers
3k views
Fixed-position header and menu on a web page — is that okay?
A client of mine is insisting on two things for a website I am designing:
That every single link is shown in the header – about 10 links or so with no sub-categories. ie. no drop-downs, rollovers, ...
12
votes
5answers
4k views
Renaming a file you are currently working in, why is this still not done?
We've all experienced this: You open a new document inside an application such as Word, Excel, Textmate, or others. You work on it for a while and save it. Then you wish you could rename it. What ...
