The latest Google Android app to drop the hamburger button is now the Google Play Store. Thank goodness Google is finally learning about better smartphone user interface design. Google Photos removed the design element last year, and Google Maps released it in 2019. The YouTube app removed it as well. Hopefully, the Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar apps will be next. If only we could get that fantastic experimental Google Chrome user interface back too!
Oh my! There are so many reasons! Your first clue is in the name. If we have to make up a ridiculous name to describe an interactive element, the designer failed miserably in creating a button that communicates its function. Whenever you call it a hamburger button, you insult whoever put it there.
We’ve discussed this numerous times before (see: What’s wrong with hamburger buttons?), but we can summarize again.
- People don’t know what it does. There’s no indication of what it’s supposed to be and what it’s supposed to do other than “something”. This is because people don’t understand icons. However, they understand words because we learn about terms early, and almost all humans have been taught about phrases for hundreds of years. It’s a perfect way to communicate. See:
- It’s often used inconsistently. The hamburger button might be used for one type of thing in one app and a different kind in another app. There’s no consistency and, therefore, no way for a user to predict what it will do. I’ve seen some apps with multiple hamburger buttons, maybe one at the top and one at the bottom, and they both do completely different things. That’s not user-friendly at all.
- Placement at the top is the worst possible location for interactive elements. Also, see:
Our 2014 & 2015 articles about this mainly targeted Microsoft for implementing hamburger buttons in Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10. I believe this poor design decision contributed to the fall of Windows 10 Mobile, as all of the data seems to show that hamburger button-based user interface designs have reduced engagement and usability. See:
Okay, okay… I know what you’re saying, “But Adam, the Pocketnow mobile website has a hamburger menu at the top! Hypocrisy much?” I know, but my excuse is that I didn’t design this site, and the person who did didn’t read my articles about user experience design or the advantages. It looks like Google does read them since they’re moving towards a better user experience design among their apps.
