About UX: Common Web Navigation Patterns

Source: https://axureboutique.com/blogs/ui-ux-design/about-ux-common-web-navigation-patterns

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In web design, there are multiple navigation patterns to choose from, each with specific use cases and advantages. Here are some common web navigation patterns:

Top Menu Navigation: This is the most common navigation pattern, typically displaying a row of links at the top of the page, allowing users to access different pages by clicking on these links.

Sidebar Navigation: This navigation pattern usually appears on the left or right side of the page, and users can access different pages by clicking on the links in the sidebar.

Dropdown Menu Navigation: This navigation pattern allows users to reveal a dropdown menu by hovering over or clicking on an item in the top menu, which contains additional links.

Breadcrumb Navigation: This navigation pattern helps users understand their location within the website and allows them to quickly return to the previous level.

Footer Navigation: Typically appearing at the bottom of the page, this navigation pattern includes auxiliary links such as privacy policy and contact us.

Tab Navigation: This navigation pattern allows users to quickly switch between different content or views without leaving the current page.

Search Navigation: This navigation pattern provides a search box for users to directly find the content they are looking for.

Image Map Navigation: This navigation pattern uses a large image, where different areas link to different pages.

Mega Menu Navigation: This is a variant of the dropdown menu that can display more links and may include images, icons, and other elements.

Text Link Navigation: This navigation pattern uses plain text links, often appearing in articles or blog posts, to guide users to related content.

Pagination Navigation: This navigation pattern is used for long articles or product lists, allowing users to switch to different pages by clicking on page numbers.

Floating Navigation: In this navigation pattern, the navigation elements move along with the user's scroll, always staying at a fixed position on the screen.

These are some common web navigation patterns, but remember that the choice of navigation pattern should be based on a comprehensive consideration of the website's characteristics, user needs and behaviors, as well as business goals. As UI/UX designers, our goal is to create excellent user experiences that satisfy both user needs and business objectives.

With Axure RP, we can easily design various web navigation patterns. You can also check out https://axureboutique.com for various web navigation components.