Burger Menu: Definition, issues and explanations

The Burger Menu, also known as the "hamburger menu", is an icon made up of three parallel horizontal lines. It is used to represent a hidden navigation menu and can be clicked or touched to unfold the available options.

This interface is frequently used in mobile applications and responsive websites in order to save screen space.

The term "burger" refers to the shape of the icon, which resembles a small sandwich with three layers.

The Burger Menu is mainly used to optimize navigation on interfaces where space is limited, such as smartphones or tablets.

It allows main menu items to be hidden, favoring a clean design and a less cluttered interface.

Its appeal lies in the fact that it offers quick access to the various sections without visually overloading the page, thus improving the user experience especially on small screens.

Concretely, the Menu Burger takes the form of a simple icon which, when clicked or tapped, unfolds a panel or menu containing navigation options.

This interaction can be accompanied by animations to indicate the opening or closing of the menu, often in the form of sliding or progressive appearance.

The menu thus opened allows the user to select a heading or function, then close the menu to return to the main content.

Like any interface element, the Burger Menu has advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered in its use.

Advantages include:

• Significant visual space savings on mobile interfaces.
• Pure, minimalist design that doesn't overload the screen.
• Easily organizes a large number of options without overloading the page.

On the other hand, disadvantages include:

• Less visible to some users, which can reduce menu discovery.
• Requires additional interaction to access options, which can detract from usability.
• Can hide important functionality if misused.

The Burger Menu is very common in mobile applications such as Instagram, Facebook or Twitter where space is at a premium and navigation needs to remain fluid.

On responsive websites, it's often used to replace a classic navigation bar on small screens, enabling a consistent user experience across all devices.

Some e-commerce sites also integrate this menu to efficiently organize categories and services without cluttering up the home page.

• MDN Web Docs - Accessibility ARIA: to understand menu accessibility and best practices.
• W3C WAI - Tutorials on accessible menus : complete guide to creating accessible menus, including burger menus.
• Smashing Magazine - Hamburger Menu UX examples : analyses and alternatives around the burger menu.