Hamburger Menu Alternatives

Hamburger navigation on desktop and mobile is not good for UX metrics because of its low efficiency and discoverability. Fortunately, more apps and sites are trying alternative and more efficient solutions to address this problem. Here are some ideas whose performance and viability is content and context dependent.

  1. Use of tabs. Some websites and apps feature limited numbers of sections. For users to quickly switch between the stated sections, website owners must include tabbed navigations.
  2. For apps and sites with more than 5 sections, it is better to display 4 that have the highest priority and the fifth to list “more.” This last item can either act as a drop-down menu or a link to a navigation page that has the remaining items.
  3. Progressively collapsing menu. This is a more sophisticated version of ‘tabs+more.’ It adapts to the screen width and displays as much of the menu as possible. When necessary, it places all the remaining items under a “more” item.
  4. Scrollable navigation. This is a good option when there are a number of sections that do not differ much in priorities and creating a “more” section would not be fitting. However, without scrolling, one can only see the top few items.

Full-Screen Websites, Easier on the Eyes

Full-screen websites fill whole browser windows (but not necessarily entire screens) independent of screen resolutions. Seemingly, more web designers are using full-screen images for the backgrounds of their websites. This may be in response to the growing screen sizes and resolutions as well as increasing Internet speeds.

A lot of full-screen websites are on-point about their dimensions. They either use CSS or JavaScript to ensure that initial visible sections have exact sizes as those of current browser windows. After doing this, it is possible for some CSS positioning to put elements at the extremes, even with window resizing.

The best place to use full screens is on homepages. Full-screen welcome gates cover entire screens with single calls to action. Users can only see one available choice at first. Scrolling down is a must should they desire to view more options. This makes such homepages easier on users’ eyes while minimizing distractions.

Full-screen designs also afford users a canvas. The main thing this pattern does is use the space to present products, companies, or ideas. It focuses on personality and message while removing the disarrangement of the rest of the content. Full-screen homepages are receiving more website design awards today.

B2B must haves

Web design is one of the best sales tools at the disposal of many B2B companies. It can inform, allure, and persuade people to purchase a brand. This is fitting for B2B marketing since sales cycles are most likely to take longer and involve several interactions. Here are a few things a website must have in order to be effective:

  1. Clean and organized professional design. People usually make subconscious judgments on the appearance of something even before they begin reading about it. A clean and organized, professional website design creates a powerful first impression on potential clients.
  2. Outline firm’s services or products. When potential clients arrive at a site, they should easily and quickly understand what the firm offers.
  3. Concise brand messaging. Prospects should easily understand the main value proposition of a firm once they arrive at the website. Also, the company’s value proposition must be unique.
  4. Educative and trust building. A website that educates potential buyers and builds trust in them is likely to be successful.
  5. Offer plenty of conversion opportunities. Great website designs make it easy for users to engage with their firms. They make their contact information easily accessible and visible. Moreover, they offer a wide variety of conversion options to potential clients.

If you’re thinking changing your website layout might help you get more leads faster, have a read of our tips on how to start generate leads faster. 

 

Conclusion

Today, more sites and apps are attempting to use alternative solutions to address the problem of hamburger’s navigation discoverability. Some of these custom website design approaches include the use of tabs, “tabs+more,” and scrollable navigation. Each of them is suitable for certain situations.

Another website design that is growing in popularity utilizes full screens, especially on home pages. Such designs minimize distractions on the pages while granting users a great experience as they do not strain to find important information about websites. Full-screen web designs are very specific and functional.

Web design is also very important in boosting sales for B2B companies. However, for success, firms must have clean and organized professional designs, offer conversion opportunities, and brand their products or services clearly. This is more like SEO website design since it deals more with the visibility of the company.