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We have come a long way, from 1973 Xerox Alto (the first computer with a graphical user interface) till now.
Everything is visually attractive and easier to use, down to the last detail like menu navigations. In every app or website, menus are one of the most important elements. They help us navigate through the products’ structures. But navigating alone is not enough – how can we make them better?
The answer may lie in the mega menus. They can be new, improved menus. However, with great power comes great responsibility. Mega menus, if misused, can have detrimental effects on the user experience.
In this article, I will explain more about the mega menus – their pros, cons, and best practices for designing mega menus to create a seamless user journey.
About mega menus: what is it
To explain simply, mega menus are large menus with more options for selection. They usually appear on websites with complex information architectures.
However, smaller websites can still make use of them to increase users’ experience and engagement.
Mega menus provide space to house various types of supplemental materials for navigation. This can include secondary-level links, images, icons, posts, and more. The goal is to minimize additional clicks by providing contextual details directly upfront.
Are they better than regular menus?
For sites dealing with extensive, interlinking topics, mega menus can give easy access to supportive information.
In almost every situation, if used right, mega menus are better than regular dropdown menus for many reasons:
Mega menus are bigger: Their spacious layout allows the inclusion of multiple columns, images, and descriptions. You don’t need to scroll, everything is presented at once.
Deeper organizational hierarchy: Complex information architectures pose organizational challenges for standard dropdowns with shallow depths. This problem can be solved by using mega menus.
Engaging visual presentation: Beyond plain text links, mega menus support embedding visual aids like thumbnails and icons to help users recognize categories at a glance.
Smoother interactive experience: Mega menus can enhance usability through more intuitive exploration of options.
When can mega menus go wrong?
Despite their superiority to normal dropdowns, mega menus can still have negative effects if used wrong.
Information overload: While it’s beneficial that users don’t have to scroll to see everything, putting too many links in menus at once can confuse people. You need to break it into smaller groups and highlight what’s important.
Mouse click issues: Due to the expanded size of mega menus, users may inadvertently move the mouse cursor outside the menus while trying to navigate through options. This can cause the mega menus to close unexpectedly, disrupting the user’s flow and requiring them to start over. This problem is more prone to happen the bigger the menus are.
Responsiveness Challenges: Making big mega menus work on small screens like phones or tablets is tricky. It might be hard to see or use if mega menus are not designed carefully.
It may appear unfamiliar to users: Many websites still rely on simple dropdown menu navigations. Consequently, users are more accustomed to the traditional menu style. Introducing mega menus with complex structures runs the risk of confusing users.
It can attract too much attention: Flashy mega menus could draw the focus away from the actual content on the pages. This usually is not a problem, unless you use it on sales or marketing pages. In this situation, it is recommended that you do not use menus at all or use simple drop-down menus only when necessary.
Best practice for mega menus
Although mega menus can enhance the usability of a website’s navigation, they also come with their usability problems.
Techniques and elements need to be used correctly to avoid pitfalls and achieve the best results. Below are some best practices for you to keep in mind when designing better mega menus.
1. Adding cues
It’s a good idea to include visual cues that show when parts of mega menus can be opened. Things like down arrows or plus signs work well. These symbols let users know they can click/tap an item to see more below it.
2. Navigation only
I know you can put anything on mega menus but that does not mean you should do it. Your mega menus should only serve one purpose, and that is for navigation.
So elements like Call To Action Buttons, Forms, Search Bars or any other elements that require more action than 1 simple click should be kept away.
3. Hover time: In 0.5 seconds.
Have you ever accidentally opened and closed a mega menu while trying to navigate through it? This can be a major problem when mega menus are opened by hovering.
For example:
One way to reduce the chances of users accidentally opening and closing menus is to make the menus open only after 0.5 seconds of hovering, instead of making them open instantly.
The timing should be:
- Wait for 0.5s before opening the menu.
- Mega menu appears in 0.1 seconds.
- When the pointer is outside of the navbar item and menu, wait another 0.5s before closing the menu.
- Mega menu closes in 0.1 seconds.
4. Open on click for big, complex mega menu
When it comes to menus, there’s often debate around whether hover or click interactions support users better.
Many people think menus that open on hover are faster and easier to use. At first glance, this seems true, but looking closer reveals the opposite is the case. Hover menus may save a click, but that initial click is important – it lets the website know the user wants the menu and is ready.
It also confirms for the user that their action had an effect, matching their expectations of how sites normally work. Clicking when you want something has never caused issues for users. The problem is getting something unexpected just from hovering. This problem may not be visible in a simple, small website menu with just a few options. The bigger the menu is, the more likely it is for users to make mistakes.
Users like to be in control of what happens on websites. Clicking lets them choose when to open the menu. It makes sure they want it before it appears.
In summary, when it comes to supporting users, the needs of humans trump optimizations. Click prioritizes understanding over speed alone. For interfaces that truly serve people, this may be the best approach.
5. Make sure that all menu items are visible at once
The purpose of mega menus is to present all information in a scannable way. If the menu designs grow too large, forcing users to scroll, it defeats the primary goal of presenting a clear overview.
In other words, scrolling introduces extra effort that disrupts smooth scanning, not just for mega menus but also for regular menus.
6. Keep it simple and well-organized
Follow these guidelines to keep your mega menus clean and simple:
Start with Grouping and Labeling: Logically categorize related items under clear headings. Use consistent styles so the structure is obvious at a glance. Order sections by importance, then items alphabetically within.
Limit Depth and Width: Restrain the menu to 2-3 levels deep maximum. Deeper gets confusing fast.
Leave breathing room: Generous spacing between sections makes the dense info easier on the eyes.
7. Take notice of responsive design
While mega menus offer advantages for desktop users, as screen sizes shrink to those of tablets and mobile phones, simply shrinking the full-sized mega menu design will likely create new problems.
Columns may need to stack vertically on small screens for easier tapping. Sections can collapse and expand as accordions for intuitive navigation of depth. Reorder columns logically and simplify views to focus on essentials.
Are mega menus good for SEO?
Whether mega menus help or hurt SEO depends on their implementation. Well-designed mega navigation can improve the user experience while allowing search engines to discover and index site content more thoroughly.
However, mega menus that are poorly crafted can pose issues. An overcomplicated or difficult-to-use structure may negatively impact how users interact with the site, potentially leading to lower search rankings. Technical limitations preventing search bots from fully accessing pages represent another risk.
Conclusion
Mega menus can be a powerful way to organize large sites, but they must be carefully crafted. Here are some tips for designing mega menus that users will love:
- Include cues that indicate menu items are expandable.
- Mega menus should only be used for navigation purposes.
- For hover menus, wait 0.5 seconds before opening to avoid accidental closures.
- For large/complex menus, use click-to-open functionality for control and confirmation.
- Display all the content at once to avoid scrolling.
- Keep mega menus simple and well-organized.
What are your other tips for crafting perfect mega menus? Let me know! 👇
