Beware: the infamous burger
Another instance of competitive analysis gone awry can be seen in Facebook’s hamburger menu icon, first launched to great success — for Facebook, at least. The icon quickly trended, and hamburger menus are still on many products, even where it probably isn’t the best design decision. Summarizing this blog post by UX designer Louie A., the burger menu doesn’t always capture the user’s attention, is sometimes inefficient, and doesn’t properly hide navigation on mobile devices. “There might be some very rare occasions where this pattern actually makes sense, but the general rule is to avoid it altogether,” he wrote.
The library app Overdrive, for instance, has two hamburger menus. Looking at the mobile interface, it’s not clear what functions are hidden behind either of them. In this case, such menus might actually confuse a user and make them waste more time than normal in trying to find the functions they need. While the burger worked for Facebook, and while some apps may have adopted it with success, it’s become a trend that isn’t always the most useful solution.
This example illustrates that the context of a design or interaction element is important to consider when deciding to actually use that element. If in your research you do come across a design element that might be worth implementing, first consider how that element works in its current context, with its current user base, and how it serves the app or product. Then see if the new product could successfully incorporate that element, and test it with users before going live.
