The Best Type/Location of Menu

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Ironwil
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Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:16 am

The Best Type/Location of Menu

Post by Ironwil »

I've seen a lot of different menus in my time. There are usually just a few main types (verticle, horizontal, text-based, image-based, animated or not). I'd like to know people's thoughts on the best type of menu to use. I tend to favor a horizontal top menu, with horizontal sub-navigation included on pages that have a lot of content. While I like animation with my menus, I keep it under control. The most I usually mess with is the mootools type menu that expands out on a hover, and using jQuery and sprites to do cool transitions.

I'm always on the prowl for cooler ideas, though, so please leave your opinions and if possible an example of your opinion on a live site.
JakeJ
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Posts: 675
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 6:27 pm

Re: The Best Type/Location of Menu

Post by JakeJ »

There is no best way. It depends on the character of the site. It depends on what type of information the site contains. Is the menu the most important thing or is the content on the home page more important? Is it a portal, informational, entertainment, shopping, etc? All of those factors and more will decide what type of menu you should use.

What kind of experience do you want your users to have with your menu? Interactive? Simple? Extended menus? The main thing is to make sure that the menu serves the user in the best way possible.
Ironwil
Forum Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:16 am

Re: The Best Type/Location of Menu

Post by Ironwil »

I know it depends on various factors. That's why I listed my general preferences and asked for people to share theirs. I'm not looking for a specific solution to a specific problem, but rather want to hear what other developers have come to view as their favorite types of navigation.
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