Horizontal and Vertical Web Site Navigation Menu/Bar – Which one to use?
A web site navigation bar/menu is a very important aspect of a web site. It actually decides the page design and layout. I follow a few basics principles in deciding whether to use a horizontal navigation bar or a vertical web site navigation menu system. • If the number of main links on the web site is less than 10 and they fit horizontally on a screen resolution of 800×600 pixels, I use a horizontal menu. Since the navigation menu is horizontal, and is followed by the main textual and graphical contents of the web page, it gives me a chance to place graphics and other web page design elements on either side. • If the number of main links on the web site and more than 15, then I put all these in a vertical navigation bar on the left side. • The contents (text or graphics) of the web site also dictate which navigation system I use. If most pages have a lot of content, then I prefer to go in for a left-side vertical navigation menu system. • If the site has to employ dynamic JavaScript
