How to Master Modern Web Design Navigation Features

With the advent of smartphones and the requirement of mobile optimization, navigation features have changed a great deal in web design. It’s not just for the mobile side of websites, either, with the slick, easy-access, and convenience inherent of mobile sites becoming popular for fully-fledged websites.

Source: Splash

So, gone are the days of sidebars in modern web design, with the simplistic, convenient, and interactive approaches to navigation taking over. Here, we’re looking at a collection of these websites that epitomize modern navigation, with each of them coming from a very different industry.

Clear-cut and straightforward for business

While there is undoubtedly a place for websites to be complex and highlights their wares to appeal to businesses looking for the most comprehensive partners, the simple approach often proves effective. Companies have enough on their plates without needing to spend hours rifling through a website to see if it’s right for their needs.

So, Dropbox Business kept it simple, quickly showcasing their storage solutions with the free trial option prominently displayed. While there is a lot for the invested to explore, it’s all very simple navigation for those looking to get started. Along the top bar, ‘Why Dropbox’ and ‘Features’ offer a range of pages to pick from, but newcomers who just want to see the costs can click on the one-stop ‘Plans & pricing.’

Getting to the guides that you need quickly

Source: Pixabay

One of the most underrated and underused features of web design navigation is the humble search engine. Perhaps sullied by the Google plug-ins, which just present droves of near-relevant adverts, the search bar can be very effective if secluded to on-site results and posted prominently on a site stacked with information. For sites stacked with detailed guides, it can even be useful to have search bars with different Calls To Action (CTA) phrases to encourage further exploration.

It’s the unsubtle presentation of search bars that have made How to Bet the go-to source for all fledgling and seasoned bettors seeking information about how to bet online. At the top of the page, the pull-out categories button has a more convenient search bar next to it, which presents results as you type. Then, slightly further down, there’s another, larger search bar for you to use to access any of the guides on the site quickly. Each has a CTA, one being ‘Search’ and the other being ‘Search for high quality guides’ to showcase the offering.

Encouraging exploration with an enjoyable experience

Being in a more artistic sphere of industry, some businesses can be more creative in their web design approach. Some can go too far, making the website confusing and lacking valuable information and troubled navigation. Others, however, manage to toe the line perfectly, ridding themselves of normal navigation but providing enough to encourage further exploration.

Perhaps the best example of this is Poulos Collective, who have built their landing page entirely of different sized blocks. Each one stands out for its own merits, with essential blocks, such as the ‘Hello’ box and ‘Bringing Art to Life’ box, prominently posted to direct inquisitive visitors. As each tile is so eye-catching and just informative enough to be helpful, visitors are comfortably lulled into scrolling further to discover more.

Simplicity, convenience, and flow are key aspects to modern navigation in web design, with the old ways of dropdowns and sidebars slowly being nudged aside by these more forward-thinking approaches.