Although navigation is an
important part of every application whether it is a web application
or a mobile application. But its importance is much more in mobile
application because there are no default buttons or links as they are
present in browsers such as back, forward, refresh etc.
Navigation becomes also
important because a user don't want to navigate application by
clicking and clicking number of links etc. For example, if a user
wants to end an activity and want to go back to certain page there
must be a link to do so without completing the activity.
Navigation plays an
important role if a user wants to go to a particular page related to
the current page then navigation links is the best way to do so.
Navigation Elements:
The navigation elements that
can be used in a mobile application to make it easy to use for the
user are:
- Links
- Buttons
- Pagination
1. Links:
Links are the most
commonly used navigation elements to move from one page to another
page of an application. These links are mostly used to connect
different modules in an application.2. Buttons:
Buttons are mostly used to submit a form in the application and then continue the application to the next page. Buttons are used in a process where a user needs to fill more than one form in order to complete the process.
3. Pagination:
Pagination are actually links but are presented in a different way. Pagination is used on the pages where the data is to be displayed and the number of records are a lot. So, pagination converts the records into multiple pages and the user can access different pages through it. Pagination allows application to show a lot of data on a single page covering a smaller area.
Placement of Navigation
Elements:
The navigation elements are
most probably placed at the following locations.
- Top Menu
- Footer
- Left Side Bar
- Dashboard
1. Top Menu:
Top Menu is the most commonly used location for the navigation elements. They are accessible to user on every page of the application and by using the top menu user can navigate to any page / module of the application whenever he wants. Top menu are also good as they have the tendency to drop down and consists multiple submenus in them.
2. Footer:
Footer are basic links at
the bottom of each page and they are used for terms, privacy and
sitemap of the application.
3. Left Side Bar:
Links can also
be placed on left side bar on the application page. The most common
way to display navigation element on left side bar is just to place
an arrow. When user clicks on the arrow, a screen slides from the
left and comes to the front with all the available links to specific
locations. The most common example for this type of appclication is
facebook.
4. Dashboard:
Dashboard is a
single page where all the links for the application are placed. User
can move to any page by just going to dashboard and clicking on the
specific link. The most common example for this type of application
is Zodiac.
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