A Guide to Hamburger Menus

Chances are you’ve encountered it countless times – those three parallel lines discreetly adorning apps and websites, concealing a treasure trove of additional options. Introducing the hamburger menu! Despite its unassuming name and simple appearance, this iconic symbol sparks heated debates in the web design community.

Join us on a captivating journey as we unravel the mysteries surrounding the hamburger menu. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the reasons behind its controversy and shed light on when to wield its power effectively. By exploring the pros and cons, we equip you with the knowledge to make informed design choices, ensuring your website navigates the captivating landscape of the hamburger menu with finesse.

What Is A Hamburger Menu?

Back in 1981, interaction designer Norm Cox revolutionised user interfaces by introducing the now-famous hamburger menu. Crafted for the Xerox Star personal workstation, Cox aimed to convey a simple yet powerful message to users. So what goes into a hamburger menu you may ask? The button concealed a list of items that would have otherwise looked cluttered and messy. Little did he know that his brainchild would leave an indelible mark on design history, becoming a universally recognised symbol guiding users to hidden menu treasures with its iconic three-stacked lines.

When the header navigation bar becomes crowded with an excess of buttons and links, the hamburger menu comes to the rescue. Comprising three stacked lines resembling a stack of hamburgers, this compact menu solution allows websites to accommodate an extensive range of navigation options. While originally designed for smaller displays and mobile devices, the CSS-powered hamburger menu has found its way onto PC websites as well.

Upon encountering the hamburger menu icon, users anticipate the presence of a hidden menu. Clicking or tapping the stacked lines triggers a smooth slide or drawer effect, unveiling a list of navigation items and other essential elements. The hamburger menu has gained widespread popularity, especially with the rise of smartphones, providing an effective design pattern for concealing complex menus on limited screen space.

However, its rapid surge in popularity led to its overuse, with designers resorting to placing hamburger menus in situations where alternative design choices would have been more suitable. Despite the controversies surrounding its extensive adoption, the hamburger menu remains a valuable tool in web design, offering a practical solution for organising menus on small screens, as well as efficacy and user-friendliness.

What Are The Benefits and Drawbacks of Hamburger Menus?

Benefits of Hamburger Menus

Simplifies screen layouts: The hamburger menu enables complexity without clutter, allowing designers to optimise limited space and maintain user focus on primary goals.

Direct access to navigation: It grants users immediate access to navigation, eliminating the need to navigate through content sequentially and enabling efficient exploration of desired pages.

Ideal for secondary access: Hamburger menus shine when used for accessing secondary elements, providing a convenient way to reveal additional navigation and infrequently accessed features.

Easy recognition: The ubiquitous three-line icon has become universally understood as a menu indicator, minimising user confusion on small screens and ensuring intuitive interaction.

Drawbacks of Hamburger Menus

Less discoverability: Hamburger menus hide navigation items, potentially hindering users from discovering important features and reducing engagement.

Diminished importance of inner pages: The presence of a hamburger menu may imply that its contents are less crucial to the overall user experience, potentially diminishing engagement with those items.

Lower engagement: Users may be less inclined to interact with a hamburger menu, as it requires multiple steps to navigate and locate desired content, increasing cognitive load compared to direct links or icons.

While hamburger menus have benefits, potential drawbacks should be carefully considered to ensure optimal user engagement and efficient navigation in the design process.

Web design with a difference!

Thoughtful consideration of the hamburger menu's pros and cons empowers us to use it wisely. With careful implementation, it enriches user experiences and seamlessly integrates into our design strategy. As a web design and development agency in London, we recognise the significance of making informed decisions.
While the hamburger menu undoubtedly has its place, it should not be employed as a default solution for every scenario. Like any design pattern, a thorough understanding of its advantages and limitations is essential. Contact Yellowball Today for web design services with a difference!