{"id":1187,"date":"2018-06-01T03:46:07","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T03:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/?p=1187"},"modified":"2021-05-16T13:49:10","modified_gmt":"2021-05-16T08:19:10","slug":"mobile-app-sidebars-pro-tips-mistakes-to-avoid-for-optimized-app-side-navigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/mobile-app-sidebars-pro-tips-mistakes-to-avoid-for-optimized-app-side-navigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobile App Sidebars- Pro Tips &#038; Mistakes to Avoid for Optimized App Side Navigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mobile app sidebar is now going to replace the main menu functionality. It also comes up with several design options to select the best choice for your app. However, there is room for improvements and avoid mistakes in the optimization <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/brief-guide-on-mobile-app-design-process-to-follow\/\">process for your app side navigation design<\/a>.<\/span>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Introduction:<\/span><\/h4>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mobile applications always suffer from screen-related constraints, and app designers strive for optimal screen real estate utilization. Therefore, the app main navigation menu is squeezing and remaining up to a few buttons.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, the need for a full navigation menu remains unsatisfied in the tiny main navigation menu. The scope for a secondary navigation scheme arises to provide a complete vehicle that brings users to their intended screens\/goals.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In due course,\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">App UI and User interface designers<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0look for secondary navigation schemes like sidebars used in most website designs, mainly WordPress websites. Unfortunately, sidebar navigation seems plausible in tablets like a bit big screens, but non-applicable in tiny smartphone screens.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Expert and creative app designers and developers have devised\u00a0<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a sidebar<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0into an\u00a0<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">off-canvas menu<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. The entire menu remains hidden from the frontend screen and representing an icon only on the GUI of the app screen.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">On clicking, the sidebar\/off-canvas navigation icon expands and brings menu buttons and content forth on the user interface and allows actions &amp; interactions for users. In the app developer community, the sidebar navigation scheme works off the canvas and is often termed as\u00a0<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Hamburger Menu<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Navigation Drawer<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0in Material Design.<\/span>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Types and Example of Sidebar Navigation in App<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1188\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Sidebar-Navigation-in-App.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"429\" height=\"725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Sidebar-Navigation-in-App.png 429w, https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Sidebar-Navigation-in-App-178x300.png 178w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 429px) 100vw, 429px\" \/>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Advantages of Sidebar Navigation Scheme in Mobile App Design<\/span><\/h3>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It has many pros and cons, but the sidebar navigation scheme is gaining momentum thanks to the following apparent advantages.<\/span>\n<ul>\n \t<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">App designers can use the vertical space of mobile screens optimally because most of the users use portrait mode of app orientation against landscape mode.<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It can cover several navigation options compared to the tiny main navigation bar situated either on the top or bottom of the app. Even users can scroll it further to access hidden buttons or content.<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It can provide a clear and clutter-free design if the designer is smart and experienced enough. The most significant advantage in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/how-right-ux-take-app-design-to-the-next-level\/\">app design<\/a> is the canvas option that shifts the sidebar menu into out-of-screen\/hidden mode and leaves the rest of the screen design free for appearance.<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The off-canvas sidebar navigation scheme works in contexts of the app screen present at that moment and changing the menu accordingly in real-time. Thus, a contextual navigation scheme provides you more room to accommodate extra navigation options and content that appears only in its right contexts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pro-Tips to Improve Sidebar Navigation of Your App Design<\/span><\/h3>\n<a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mobile app developers<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0can enhance the user experiences of sidebar navigation by following useful tips:<\/span>\n<ul>\n \t<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">By prioritizing navigation options, you can get users&#8217; immediate attention for highly important content\/options.<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Sometimes hiding won&#8217;t work in favor of users, and intimidating UX of the app will always show options and make the sidebar visible.<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Please select the appropriate sidebar navigation type from the given or prevailing options and customize it.<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Fix your goals <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/what-ui-ux-design-is-and-it-means-to-business\/\">while designing the app<\/a> sidebar and allocate one goal per item listed in the sidebar. It will save users from overwhelming with too many goals per item.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Mistakes to Avoid for Optimized Sidebar Navigation in Mobile Apps<\/span><\/h3>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Some apps are complex and require several options in the sidebar thanks to too many categories or sections in the app&#8217;s information architecture. Therefore, optimization of the sidebar or off-canvas menu is essential. Many app developers committed some common mistakes in due course and lost sidebar value at all in-app conversion. Those mistakes are:<\/span>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Adding Too Many Options in Sidebar Menu of Apps:<\/span><\/h4>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">App developers define options when planning the app architecture, and the complex nature of apps have infinitive options or &#8220;Option-Creep&#8221; in other words. Therefore, they need to control several options to show in a sidebar at a time.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The fix for the issue is using a contextual sidebar menu that changes according to the app screen or app section during the app journey of a user and displays only relevant options in the sidebar.<\/span>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Uncluttered Sidebar Navigation of Apps:<\/span><\/h4>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When too many options come to cover in a side menu of the app, the app designers try to accommodate more options within the constrained space of the sidebar interface. It makes app side navigation designed cluttered, and it becomes more cluttered when designers decide to place ads or banners in it to earn in-app ads revenue or marketing app offerings in the first place.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The fix is to give enough space to each option and follow the rules of touch gestures that demand space for thumb touch. For visual differentiation, you can use borders by using lines of embossing the specified area and use headings of options.<\/span>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Un-Categorized Options in Sidebar Menu of Apps:<\/span><\/h4>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If you have too many options in a sidebar and it becomes a scrollable interface\/module, it becomes clumsy to scroll and find random options.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The fix is that you must fragment the content of the navigation menu. The best way is to fragment them by categories or sections and give block-type patterns or arrangements.<\/span>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Filling Sidebar of App with In-app Ads and Marketing Banners:<\/span><\/h4>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">From the marketing and app monetization point of view, the sidebar provides awesome opportunities if ads or banners are placed in between or bottom of the option\/content list. Sometimes app owners\/entrepreneurs are tempted to fill up a sidebar with ads and banners in a haphazard manner.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">You must logically group the ads or banners and display them in safe spaces where the chances of destroying user experiences are low. Displaying contextual ads or banners makes great sense in ad conversion too.<\/span>\n<h4><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Conclusion:<\/span><\/h4>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We have seen the different types of sidebar designs used in-app secondary menu designs. We know the distinct advantages of the sidebar menu against all other app navigation schemes used in present app designing.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Moreover, we come to know some useful tips to enhance navigation experiences using the app sidebar menu and some of the things that need to be avoided to create a better design and experiences.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This knowledge is not enough to select or create a better option for your app sidebar design. It needs the help of experienced app designers accustomed to all types of sidebar navigation design and implemented successfully.<\/span>\n\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It is a fortunate thing that SysBunny has an\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">impeccable team of app designers<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> who have achieved desired success in sidebar navigation design for an app developed on different platforms, including iOS and Android. Would you like to try out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/mobile-app-ui-design.php\">mobile app design agency<\/a>? Let&#8217;s begin a thread of conversation.<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mobile app sidebar is now going to replace the main menu functionality. It also comes up with several design options to select the best choice for your app. However, there is room for improvements and avoid mistakes in the optimization process for your app side navigation design. Introduction: Mobile applications always suffer from screen-related constraints, [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[280,278,279],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Mobile-App-Sidebar.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1187"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1187"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3255,"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1187\/revisions\/3255"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sysbunny.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}