Thread by @smashingmag

Everything I think about when thinking about navigation.

01 — What critical navigation do we always need to expose (filters, cart, topics)?

02 — Are critical CTAs optimized for mobile (float at the bottom)?

03 — Are critical CTAs optimized for desktop (upper right corner)?

04 — Do we always display search box to increase searches?

05 — Do we always display some navigation to raise engagement?

06 — Do we use “more/less” pattern to show/hide more navigation?

07 — Do we display breadcrumbs to jump to the parent category?

08 — Does tapping on a category’s title prompt accordion or navigation?

09 — Do drop-downs appear/disappear on hover, tap/click, or both?

10 — If a search icon is used, how does search box appear when prompted?

11 — Do we list category’s main page in a drop-down?

12 — Do we place the “menu” button at the top or at the bottom?

13 — Can we push the “menu” down to make it reachable for thumbs?
14 — Do nav items appear in a full page/partial overlay or slide-in?
15 — Do we use a layered, “curtain” navigation for multiple levels?

16 — Do we absolutely need a deep nested navigation (>3 levels)?

17 — Have we considered using search with autocomplete instead?

18 — Do we use a tabbed navigation at the top or at the bottom (<5 items)?

19 — Do we use a floating navigation icon at the bottom right?

20 — Do we highlight popular or important navigation items?

21 — Do mega-drop-downs appear/disappear on hover, tap or both?

22 — Do we group mega-drop-down sections as cards/links on mobile?

23 — Do we use iconography to display differences between sections?

24 — Can users tap on the same spot to open/close navigation?

25 — Are all navigation options reachable via keyboard on desktop/mobile?

26 — Are all navigation options accessible via a screen reader?

27 — Have we minimized the distance/time to travel from one step to next?