Drawbacks of Kebab Menu

What is the Kebab Menu?

The kebab menu is a user interface element that represents a menu or a list of options in a graphical user interface. The icon is frequently found at the top-right or top-left of the screen or window. The below image indicates an example of the kebab menu symbol in Google Chrome....

Origins and Design

The kebab menu icon itself typically consists of three vertically aligned dots. It is a derivative of earlier UI elements designed to simplify and facilitate interaction within the digital interface. The idea of using dots to indicate more options came from the need to save screen real estate and reduce visual clutter on the screen, especially on mobile devices where space is scarce....

Purpose and Use Cases

Settings: Access to application settings or preferences. Help: Links to help documentation or support. More: More features or tools that don’t show right away. Share: Options to share the content through various platforms. Edit/Delete: Buttons for editing and deleting content. Logout: The logout button is a functionality that logs a user out of the application or service....

Advantages of Kebab Menu

Space Efficiency: This approach, where the additional access points are combined into one icon, results in more screen space, which makes it possible to provide the main content and features there. Clean Design: This keeps the aesthetic appeal by reducing clutter, which is particularly important in mobile application design. Scalability: Applications that have been under development and are bound to further mature allow for new options to be added within the kebab menu without disrupting the overall layout....

Drawbacks of Kebab Menu

Discoverability: The kebab menu icon may not be immediately recognizable to new users, or they may not understand its function. Hidden Features: Some critical features hidden within the kebab menu might be missed by the users, and hence it reduces the accessibility. Consistency: In the case of the kebab menu if it is used in different sensor of monitoring systems of the users it will bring confusion of the users – they will not understand what to expect, something which may not be desirable....

Best Practices for Implementation

Consistency: Having permanent kebab menu spots in the app while putting and representing it at various points will be the reason to build the users familiarity and expectations. Accessibility: All options within the menu should be made easily accessible, and it is worth considering to include tooltips or brief descriptions for better understanding. Prioritization: Place less frequently used items in the kebab menu so that the necessary actions will be shown upfront and easily accessible. Feedback: Users shall be provided with immediate feedback when they interact with the kebab menu in order to confirm their actions and choices....

Examples in Popular Applications

Google Chrome: The kebab menu opens options for browser settings, extensions, and other tools. YouTube: A kebab menu next to videos in lists open options to Add to Playlist, Share, or Report. Gmail: The kebab menu in email lists opens options to mark as read, delete, or move e-mail to any folder....

Conclusion

The kebab menu is a small but mighty UI element that greatly increases the usability and efficiency of digital interfaces. It arranges secondary options and settings into a compact, easily accessible format that will help keep the design clean while ensuring users can easily get to important features when needed....

Frequently Asked Questions on Kebab Menu – FAQs

What is the purpose of the kebab menu?...