Underground Web Designs Blog

When having a new website designed, it is important to give the matter of the site’s menus and navigation systems some serious thought. Navigation systems come in many forms, from vertical “Sidebar” menus, to horizontal “Top Bar” menus, to menus which take up a large chunk of the bottom of the page. Each style of menu has it’s advantages and disadvantages, which should be considered carefully.

The “Sidebar” menu is perhaps the most common. This menu runs down one side of the page and provides ample space for a large number of menu items. This can be great for sites that have a very large number of pages, as the sidebar area will usually have more than enough room to hold as many pages as you have. Also, since it is very common, most people are familiar with a sidebar menu and will intuitively understand that that is where they should look for other topics covered by your website.

The second most popular type of menu is the horizontal “Top Bar” menu. While slightly less common than the “Sidebar” menu, this style of menu is still more than common enough that most people will understand what it is, and will look for it if they don’t immediately see a sidebar menu. The top bar menu style does have some disadvantages in that the space along the top of a website is often very limited, which in turn limits the number of items that can be placed in such a menu.

One common way of dealing with the lack of space in any menu, but especially a top row menu, is by providing “drop downs” or expandable menus of some sort. While these provide a cool way of adding extra space to a menu, it should be noted that unless they are easy to use they will often be more of an annoyance than they are a help. Menus should be fairly forgiving in how long they stay open, so that on mistaken twitch of the cursor outside the menu doesn’t close it, but should also close quickly when the user is truly done with them — especially if they cover other text on your page.

The final type of menu is relatively new and fills a large area at the bottom of a page. This type of menu is arranged a little bit like a sidebar, but with several columns so that it is not too long and fills the whole width of the bottom of the site. Usually found on either blogs or website home pages, this menu allows a lot of information to made available in a very easy to use way. However, since it’s often located at the very bottom of the page it should only be used on short pages, or for unimportant details on longer pages. For a good use of this type of menu, check out the SecondLife.com homepage, which makes use of such a menu.

The important thing about your site’s navigation, no matter what form it may take, is that it be easy to use. If your visitor doesn’t understand how to find what they are looking for on your site, then they will soon go elsewhere. No matter how your navigation is designed, it never hurts to sit down a few people who have never seen your site and ask them to have a look around. If they immediately find and use the navigation, then you’re on the right track. If they have to fuss, fumble, or scroll excessively to find your navigation system, then you may want to re-think your design.

When you’re looking to have a new website created, you likely have some idea of how you want it to look. Maybe you have a few colors that you’d really like to see used, or a particular look or feel you’re going for. Or, maybe your business has a very distinct theme you want to portray, or you just like one of the competitors sites, and want something similar. The point is that few people go into getting a new website with no expectations whatsoever.

With this in mind, when you’re in the market for a new website, take a look at a variety of sites a designer has created. Are they all very similar? This could be a potential turn off — he/she may be unimaginative. Also, look around the internet and find several sites that catch your attention, whether for their look and feel, navigation, colors, or other feature; and make a note of them.

If you’ve done your research before contacting a web designer about your new site then you will be able to give them a much better idea of what your vision for your new site is right of the bat. This can dramatically lessen the time spent discussing ideas and mockups, and result in your site being finished that much sooner. It can also potentially save you money, if your web designer is being paid by the hour.

Doing your research when looking for a new website design may seem like extra work that the designer should be doing, but it truly isn’t. After all, the designer’s job is to make YOUR vision a reality, not theirs. If you don’t give them a solid foundation upon which to build then chances are that not only will the design take longer, but you will find that it just isn’t quite what you’d hoped your new website should be. When know exactly what you want, and have examples to back it up, however; you are giving the designer a firm foundation from which to build, and your chances of satisfaction are much greater.