Sliders and hamburgers are two common navigation elements used in web and mobile app design. While they share some similarities, there are key differences between how each functions and when each should be used.
What is a Slider?
A slider is a graphical control that allows users to adjust settings or values on a continuous range by moving an indicator (or “knob”) along a track. Some common examples include:
- Volume sliders for adjusting audio levels
- Brightness sliders for changing screen brightness
- Sliders for selecting a date/time range
- Sliders for adjusting image size or opacity
In web design, sliders are often used as a graphical alternative to text input for things like selecting a price range, setting a radius on a map search, or choosing a date. Sliders allow users to easily visualize the range of possible values and rapidly hone in on their desired setting.
Benefits of Sliders
- Provide an intuitive, visual control for adjusting values on a continuum
- Allow for more precise value selection than using preset options
- Save screen real estate compared to other input types
- Offer excellent affordance through the draggable handle
Drawbacks of Sliders
- Less accurate than direct text input for entering exact values
- Require good motor control to smoothly manipulate
- Only suitable for adjusting settings along a single dimension
- Require more coding effort to implement than simpler input types
What is a Hamburger Menu?
A hamburger menu is an icon with three horizontal bars stacked on top of each other, resembling a hamburger. It is used in web and mobile design to represent a hidden navigation menu that slides out when tapped or clicked. Some key traits of hamburger menus include:
- Hidden by default to conserve screen space
- Reveals additional menu links when activated
- Typically slides out from the side of the screen
- Contains navigation links to important pages/features
- Represented by the iconic 3-line “hamburger” icon
Hamburger menus are very common in responsive web design, as they provide a clean way to hide navigation options on smaller screens where horizontal space is limited. The menu allows designers to cleanly present the most important elements on mobile while keeping additional options readily accessible.
Benefits of Hamburger Menus
- Save horizontal screen space on small screens
- Prioritize the most important navigation links
- Provide easy access to secondary links
- Familiar interaction for most users
- Require minimal coding to implement
Drawbacks of Hamburger Menus
- Hide links from immediate view
- Require an extra click/tap to access hidden links
- Meaning not immediately clear to some users
- Can be annoying if overused
- Require careful design for responsive behavior
Key Differences
While sliders and hamburger menus can both add visual appeal and improve UX when used appropriately, there are some notable differences between the two elements:
| Slider | Hamburger Menu |
|---|---|
| Used for selecting values along a continuous range | Used for toggling visibility of navigation links |
| Manipulated by dragging handle | Activated by tapping/clicking icon |
| Always visible on screen | Hidden by default |
| For adjusting settings | For accessing pages/features |
| Single control | Opens a menu panel |
| Primarily desktop interface element | Common in mobile/responsive design |
Some other key differences:
- Sliders take up more continuous horizontal space, while hamburger menus take up a single icon’s worth of space
- Sliders allow seamless value selection, while hamburger menus have discrete menu items
- Sliders require manipulating a handle, while hamburger menus only need a tap/click
- Sliders are intuitive for adjusting settings, while hamburger menus hide content from view
When to Use Each
Due to their distinct characteristics and use cases, sliders and hamburger menus each work better in certain situations:
When to use a slider
- When adjusting a setting along a continuous range (volume, brightness, etc.)
- When users will benefit from visually selecting a precise value
- When screen space is available for the track element
- When the default/current value is important to visualize
- When large jumps in values would be problematic
When to use a hamburger menu
- When space is extremely limited, like on a small mobile screen
- When you need to prioritize just the most important navigation links
- When you want to hide advanced or secondary features
- When you need to conserve vertical space for content
- When consistency with mobile platform conventions is important
Best Practices
To maximize usability, some best practices should be followed when implementing sliders and hamburger menus.
Sliders
- Make sure the track adequately represents the range of values
- Use appropriate increments between tick marks
- Allow typing in values directly for precision
- Indicate current/default value with handle position
- Provide textual feedback of the selected value
- Offer a large target area for the handle
Hamburger Menus
- Place in a consistent location, like top corner
- Consider leaving important links always visible
- Use slide-out animation when menu appears/disappears
- Ensure menu links are clearly organized
- If using as main navigation, make it accessible
- Provide indication that menu can be tapped/clicked
Examples in Practice
Here are some examples of sliders and hamburger menus used effectively on popular websites and mobile apps:
Sliders
- Google Maps – Price range slider for hotels
- Airbnb – Adjust map search radius
- Twitter – Select number of tweets per timeline load
- Youtube – Video playback time slider
- Amazon – Filter products by price range
- Apple – Control center volume and brightness sliders
Hamburger Menus
- Facebook – Mobile app main navigation
- Instagram – Profile page options
- Pinterest – Boards sidebar menu
- Reddit – Post sorting menu
- Spotify – Playlist menus on mobile
- PayPal – Account menu on mobile
| Site | Element Used | How It’s Implemented |
|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | Price range slider | Allows easily filtering hotels by price on mobile |
| Airbnb | Map radius slider | Sets search area visually on map |
| Hamburger menu | Houses main navigation links on mobile | |
| Hamburger menu | Provides profile options menu | |
| Spotify | Hamburger menu | Navigation for playlists on mobile |
Conclusion
In summary, sliders and hamburger menus are distinct interface elements that each serve their own roles:
- Sliders provide an intuitive method for selecting values along a continuum through direct manipulation
- Hamburger menus conserve space by hiding secondary navigation until needed
Understanding the key differences in how they function and when to use each can help designers and developers implement the appropriate component for the task at hand, enhancing usability for end users.
Both sliders and hamburger menus have their own advantages and disadvantages. Using platform conventions and following best practices for each can allow leveraging the benefits while mitigating the weaknesses.
With an awareness of the subtle distinctions between these two common controls, web and mobile UIs can be crafted that are both visually appealing and interactionally sound.