Hamburger Menu
A button icon with three horizontal lines that reveals hidden navigation when clicked.
Definition
The hamburger menu, named for its resemblance to a hamburger, is an icon that toggles navigation visibility. It became standard for mobile navigation but remains controversial due to reduced discoverability of menu items.
Alternatives include bottom navigation, tab bars, and progressive disclosure patterns.
Why It Matters
Hamburger menus trade discoverability for screen space. Hidden navigation means lower engagement with menu items, which may impact key user journeys.
The right navigation pattern depends on information architecture, user needs, and content priorities.
Examples in Practice
An e-commerce site moves to bottom navigation for key categories while keeping the hamburger for secondary pages.
A/B testing reveals that exposing key navigation items increases engagement compared to hamburger-only navigation.
A desktop site uses a visible mega menu while the mobile version collapses to a hamburger.