Left Side Navigation Is Intuitive, But Top Navigation Saves Space

Within a large online discussion group, a person shared a blog about whether side versus top navigation is better. The research shows that the first step is setting up a definition for primary, secondary and tertiary navigation hierarchy. A three-level navigation design has a lot of benefits. Most expect the primary navigation to be on the screen's left side. Here's why.

Easier to Scan Left-side navigation is easier to scan. Eye tracking research demonstrates that people look at websites in an F pattern. They first look in the upper left corner. They move across the top. Then they drop down on the left side and scan across the top again. Finally, they move down the page. Putting the navigation in the upper left facilitates navigation and improves speed.

Space Putting navigation on the left side takes up three times as much space as top navigation. Collapsing the navigation does not always work. However, side navigation is easier to scale than top navigation. It is also easier to add elements to a navigation menu by setting up a left-hand navigation menu.

Consistency People want consistency when they visit a site. Left navigation will deliver this. It does this across devices and operating systems. Top menus can cause a problem for a shorter screen. Redesigning the navigation of a site can be a challenge, but most people prefer a layout that gives more space for product displays.

Content For a page that has more content than product displays, a top navigation is usually better. The links will be visible on portrait views, while left-side navigation will likely be hidden in the hamburger menu. This works best when there are not a lot of navigation options for the content.

ECommerce For eCommerce, left-hand navigation is usually better. It is easier to scale and configure. It works well for apps on desktops as well as on phones. A tree or folder structure can be set up for it. Site developers need to keep in mind that what works well on one type of website may not be the best option for the next project. For more information click here https://uxdesign.cc/top-navigation-vs-side-navigation-wich-one-is-better-24aa5d835643.