Watch
Navigation patterns 1:08
A 68-second explainer of Navigation patterns, narrated over the same demo you can try yourself.
Try the interactive Navigation patterns demo
What this video covers
Navigation patterns are the established ways of structuring how people move around a product - top tabs, a bottom bar, a hamburger drawer, a sidebar, breadcrumbs. Each is a familiar convention with different trade-offs in visibility, reach and capacity, and choosing well means matching the pattern to how many destinations you have, how important they are, and the device people use.
Switching the same app between patterns, you can feel the trade-offs: the bottom bar puts the key sections right under your thumb, while the hamburger tidies the screen but hides them a tap and a decision away - so people use them less. There's no single best pattern, only the right fit for how many destinations you have and how important they are. Keep the important ones visible; hide only the rest.