What are the advantages and disadvantages of vertical navigation bars?
Before implementing vertical navigation on your website, carefully consider the pros and cons of doing so. Knowing which problems you might encounter is important for avoiding them.
Businesses implement vertical navigation bars because of:
- 视觉层次结构: Use vertical navigation for clear top-to-bottom structures that users can navigate through.
- Content focus: Prioritize your most important content at the top of the vertical navigation bar.
However, some key considerations to make note of with vertical navigation are…
- Screen space: Placement is critical; ensure your left- or right-side vertical bars make enough space on your screen. Consider using hamburger menu icons so that users can open and close them.
- 熟悉度： Show users how to use vertical navigation bars as they’re less common than the standard top menu.
- Mobile implementation: Consider different screen sizes to implement your vertical navigation bars on mobile devices.
What are some examples of websites that use vertical navigation effectively?
Before using vertical navigation on your website, look at examples to get an idea of how you can apply these principles.
Some websites that use vertical navigation are:
- Facebook： Users find Facebook Marketplace, their groups, saved posts, etc., via the website’s vertical navigation bar.
- Netflix： The streaming service places its TV shows and movies into different categories via a vertical navigation bar (e.g. comedy and drama).
- Medium： Readers on the website will find categories and topics they might want to browse in the sidebar.
- Spotify： Users can access their saved playlists via the vertical bar. From this area, listeners also have the option to create new lists and change the order.
How does vertical navigation impact user experience?
Vertical navigation can significantly impact the user experience, though its benefits aren’t always guaranteed. Some of the ways it can interact with how users go through your website are:
- Scanning: Use vertical navigation to simplify processes for scanning and identifying information. Users may scan content from top to bottom rather than left to right, unlike their behavior with horizontal menus.
- Prioritizing content: If you have pages or pieces of content that are more important than others, you should put these at the top of your page.
How does vertical navigation adapt to different screen sizes and devices?
Your responsive navigation must be able to fit different mobile and desktop screen sizes. Consider these factors:
- Collapsing menus: Use buttons or icons to allow users to hide the vertical navigation bar when they don’t need to see it.
- Horizontal switching: Consider making your vertical menu horizontal if the user is accessing your website from a particularly small screen.
- Simplifying the bar: Navigating your website is important, but you should avoid overwhelming users with too many options.
总结
While not as common as horizontal navigation, you might want to think about implementing vertical navigation bars on your website. Prioritize the most important content and make sure that you carefully optimize the bar so that you don’t consume too much screen space.
Assess how users interact with your website and make sure you guide them to the navigation bar. Use icons or colors to do so. Understanding different UX practices is also essential for implementing vertical navigation bars.
