The mobile app navigation menu is the most important design element that guides users in the right direction, helping them to perform the desired action. Creating a functional mobile app navigation menu can improve the overall mobile app UX and allow users to make the most of each and every feature of your product.

Mobile app navigation is basically the foundation of your product that will enhance the product content and organize the information in a visually appealing and understandable manner. The structured arrangement is critically important to highlight the core functions of the product so that users can easily interact with the product. A well-designed navigation menu that allows users to achieve their goals can have a direct impact on the conversion rate of the product.

All in all, efficient and simple navigation can make your app a huge success. Here are some design strategies to create functional mobile app navigation for your next project.

1. Grid Navigation Menu

The grid navigation menu design is simple and clear that provides obvious direction that will eventually increase efficiency. The grid design doesn’t allow users to see the complete features for the first time, persuading users to see all the options and discover what your product can do for them.

2. Card-Style Design

App designers can go for the card-style interface design for their app, as it gives them an opportunity to display actionable content. This menu design naturally reveals the content while giving users an opportunity to tap on each card and swipe the content here or there.

3. Add an Animated Effect

Today more than 80% of apps are deleted after the installation; therefore, creating a first positive impression is the ultimate goal of a majority of mobile app developers to retain their users. To create a stellar experience, you can harness the power of animation to make your app engaging and memorable.

4. Full-Screen Navigation Design

Full-screen navigation is another design strategy that you can use for your next mobile app development project. This navigation style allows you to show all the features of your product in a list format without overwhelming the user. The best part of full-screen navigation menu is that you can minimize the screen that navigation menus take up while using the homepage’s real estate to showing your product’s main features. It hides the secondary functionality of the app, making users swipe to check the additional menu options.

5. Bottom Bar Menu Design

It is one of the most popular mobile app navigation designs that display the menu option at the bottom of the screen. Many famous brands such as Nike, Instagram, Airbnb, are using this navigation design in their mobile apps. The major advantage of using this navigation menu design is that the navigation option will remain consistent no matter what page you are viewing, making it easier to access a particular screen for mobile users who hold the phone in one hand.

6. Rudder Navigation

This mobile app navigation menu– rudder navigation can be used to highlight the most important entrances with the frequent operation. It is a perfect option for those apps that have the same hierarchy of content and requires frequent operation of the entrance.

7. Hamburger Menu

A hamburger menu is a popular navigation design that contains a few lists of detailed options. This menu design is the best fit for complex apps that have a lot of content to display allowing you to save a lot of od screen space. The menu option allows you to hide a large number of navigation options in a tiny space while freeing up screen real estate and reveal it only when a user taps on it. It makes your mobile app UI design cleaner and simpler.

8. Tab Bar

Unlike the hamburger menu, the tab bar design doesn’t hide navigation, allows direct access to the top-level navigation options. The tab bar menu design is a great solution for apps that have a few navigation options with core functionality. This navigation design allows users to see all the main app features, navigate directly to the screen associated with the item, and enable them to understand their current location.

Over to You

Mobile app navigation is one of the most important strategies that your mobile app development team should keep in mind to make their product look unique, intuitive and easy-to-use. Helping users to navigate is the ultimate goal of every app. Keep your buyer persona in mind and consider their needs and desires in mind when developing your app and use your navigation to help them fulfill their needs. When you provide your users with easier and simpler navigation options, they will use your app again and again. Since there are a lot of mobile app navigation menu designs available to choose from, you can keep the above-listed design strategies in mind or hire a mobile app development company to create the best app navigation design for your next project.