A sidebar navigation on an interface offers users multiple items to select. After making a selection, they need a visual cue to identify the chosen item. This cue is called an indicator. Every sidebar needs a clear and non-distracting selection indicator. However, many designers continue to use bad practices that make it hard for users […]

Screen space on a desktop interface is more important than you think. Most designers take it for granted because a desktop screen contains so much space. However, when it comes to data display, every pixel counts. A sidebar can occupy a lot of width space and diminish the content area. As a result, users will […]

A sidebar navigation with a few items is simple to design. All you have to do is display them in a list with relevant icons. But what do you do when you have multiple large-scale item groups to display? The typical approach uses disclosure arrows to collapse each item group with an accordion functionality. However, […]

Designers must stop using multi-level sidebar navigation. Grouping many items and subitems together in a small space creates visual clutter. As a result, users have trouble finding items when they navigate. For example, a sidebar with a navigation hierarchy with three levels will display many text labels. Users navigating between levels can easily misinterpret which […]

There’s a reason most websites use a top navigation bar. On a website, content is king, so you need as much width space as possible to display everything. But for web applications, navigation is king. Users aren’t trying to explore content but rather complete tasks efficiently. If your app doesn’t have optimal navigation, users won’t […]