Responsive navigation: dynamic menus for mobile

These days, responsive web design is one of the standard forms of web design, whether the website in question is a web store, a news blog, or a company homepage. This development comes from the increasing number of mobile devices capable of accessing the internet in addition to traditional means, such as desktops and laptops. Over the last decade, the number of people using smartphones and tablets to surf the web has steadily increased, and sales of mobile devices continue to rise. For entrepreneurs starting out with an online venture, it’s essential to have a finger on the pulse of these changing trends. Optimizing a website for mobile devices is therefore a key element in finding success. For some hints on how to get started, check out our digital guide article on the topic.

In an increasingly digitized world, one thing is for certain: the businesses that prevail are the ones who offer their users maximum usability across all devices. Two of the main aspects of mobile optimization are responsive navigation and user friendliness.

For web developers, mobile navigation is especially challenging; the mobile user’s online behavior differs greatly to that of someone using a larger screen, as the use of a mouse makes navigation far more precise. To make the user experience as streamline and fulfilling as possible for the user, developers need to spend some time implementing responsive navigation on their mobile website. Over time, not only has the user behavior changed, but their expectations have too; with faster loading times, the user (or, in terms of e-commerce, potential customer) has become less patient. Therefore, if the mobile navigation is too cumbersome, and it takes too long to reach the desired page, the user is more likely to exit the page, meaning the company loses traffic and profits.

In any website, simple navigation is a key element, as this enables visitors to browse the page for relevant information. The control elements should therefore function entirely seamlessly, the structure should be self-explanatory and easy for the user to understand, allowing for a more intuitive operation. Responsive navigation poses specific challenges for web designers, particularly when it comes to mobile devices, as their screen sizes are smaller screen space and the touch screen input method is less precise than a cursor. However, simple and user-friendly website navigation can still be achieved with responsive solutions.

The underlying concept of responsive design is that the content and design of a web page dynamically adjusts itself to the specifications of the device used. Responsive navigation follows the same principle.

Generally, it’s a good idea to create a website using the ‘mobile first’ approach. This design concept focuses on optimizing web projects for mobile devices; the design, usability and performance of the mobile version is the first priority, while adjusting the site to suit desktops and laptops follows in second place. It’s generally a lot more difficult and requires far more effort to adapt an existing website navigation to a mobile device, and doing so often means that mobile users are often unsatisfied with the results. Before starting to plan and implement responsive navigation, however, there are some fundamental questions, which first need to be answered. The first decision to be made is of course - where on the page should the navigation be?

Footer navigation and displays at the top of the web page are the two most popular forms of navigation. With footer navigation, a link at the top of the page directs users to the navigation in the footer; this is where the individual menu options are located.

Footer navigation is not always the most user-friendly option; in fact, sometimes this placement causes unnecessary confusion for the user. It focuses on the homepage’s content, which can be a great advantage, depending on the website’s objectives. In mobile navigation, it’s more common to see the navigation at the top of the page, rather than as a footer. This typical navigation method for responsive design is trusted by most internet users.

With both variations, it’s possible to add further sub-sections, which can fade in and out.

Now we come to the central question: how should the mobile navigation menu open? The concept is determined by the way in which the navigation is presented to the user. The display options are diverse: the navigation can be displayed directly on the page or opened by clicking a link. The navigation can either move the content down or lie above it. Here we’ve collected some examples.

There are many different factors involved in finding the right navigation concept for your web project. One thing’s for certain: there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The navigation concepts detailed above are a good indication of the range of options out there, although of course these examples must be adapted to fit every individual project. When making this decision, it’s firstly important to take note of the website’s navigational structure or the different categories of its pages. Once this has been done, web developers can make an informed decision about how the navigation should be structured and which options should be taken into consideration.

In recent years, the hamburger icon has become a standard feature on mobile websites and has therefore earned a brief introduction. This small symbol, comprised of three parallel, horizontal lines, has fast become a universal symbol across all smartphones and tablets to indicate a hidden menu.

One great advantage of this is of course its recognition value, however, the hamburger icon remains a much-disputed topic among web designers, on the basis of its usability. Critics often express concerns about the fact that the options are hidden, and argue this makes it more difficult for the user to interact. Originally designed as far back as the 80s, the hamburger icon was first designed for the Xerox Star, one of the first workstations with a graphical user interface. The symbol was then used in early versions of Windows, and has since gone from strength to strength.