The Menu Test: Clean Up Your Navigation Before Redesigning Your Website

Category: Web design and UX

Many redesign projects start with colours, images and proposals for a new homepage. This is tempting because the visual elements are tangible and easy to discuss. But if the structure and navigation are still based on internal departments, outdated services and arbitrary content types, the company ends up with a prettier website that has the same problems.

A better starting point is to conduct a menu test. The goal is to find out whether users understand where to go, what they can expect to find and how to move forward. The test can be carried out before wireframes are created or development is commissioned. It provides a better basis for decisions about structure, typography, visual identity, accessibility and conversion.

Start with the tasks the website needs to support

A menu should not be a complete overview of the organisation. It should help different users complete specific tasks. Before assessing the menu, the company should therefore define the most important tasks the website needs to support.

For an accounting firm, this might mean understanding which services are offered, assessing whether the provider is right for their business and booking a meeting. For an industrial company, it might mean finding product information, documentation, contact details or the option to request a quote.

Describe five to eight tasks in the users’ own words. Avoid wording that only makes sense internally. “Explore our business areas” is unclear. “Find help with payroll and HR” describes an actual task.

If the company cannot prioritise these tasks, the website will often try to highlight everything at once. The result is a large number of menu items, competing buttons and a homepage without a clear direction.

Conduct the menu test without the help of design

Write the proposed main menu and submenus as plain text. Do not show colours, images, icons or finished webpages. When the design is removed, it becomes clear whether the words and structure work on their own.

Then give the test to people who resemble the actual users. They could be customers, employees who speak with customers or people without in-depth knowledge of the organisation. Ask them to point out where they would go to complete each of the prioritised tasks.

Ask questions such as “Where would you look for pricing information?” or “Where would you go to find out whether this service is suitable for a small business?” Avoid explaining the menu along the way. The explanation conceals precisely the problems the test is meant to uncover.

Note where participants hesitate, which words they misunderstand and whether several choose the wrong entry point. One mistake does not necessarily mean the structure needs to change. When the same misunderstanding is repeated, it is a clear signal.

Look for four common navigation mistakes

1. The menu reflects the organisational chart

Department names and internal areas of expertise are rarely good entry points for external users. A customer will not necessarily know which department handles their needs. Menu items should describe services, products, use cases or tasks that customers recognise.

2. Several menu items mean almost the same thing

Words such as “Services”, “Solutions” and “What we offer” may appear to be three different routes to the same content. The user then has to guess. Merge overlapping categories or give them names that clearly show the difference.

3. Important content is buried too deeply

The number of clicks is not the only thing that matters. A logical three-step path may be easier than a confusing homepage with twenty choices. The problem arises when key pages are hidden behind unclear categories or can only be reached through search, the footer menu or random links in the text.

4. Contact is the only path to action

“Contact us” often asks more of the user than the website has earned. Someone who is still considering their options may need to see a service description, a relevant example, information about the process or a clear indication of price before getting in touch becomes relevant.

Connect the menu to a clear page structure

A good menu does not solve the problem if the pages lack internal structure. Every key page should help the user answer a few simple questions: Is this relevant to me? What do I get? How does it work? Why should I trust the provider? What is a natural next step?

This does not mean that every page should follow an identical template. A product page, a careers page and a customer story have different purposes. They should nevertheless have a readable sequence and a clear hierarchy.

Start with the most important message, not a lengthy presentation of the company. Use subheadings that summarise the content. Break up long blocks of text into shorter paragraphs, and place relevant actions where the user has received enough information to make a decision.

Let typography show the way

Typography is not just about choosing a typeface. Size, line length, contrast, whitespace and differences in hierarchy determine how easy it is to find your way around. If headings, body text, links and buttons look too similar, the user has to work unnecessarily hard to understand the page.

Define a limited typographic system with clear levels. The main heading, subheadings, body text and supporting text should have recognisable roles. It should also be easy to see what is clickable. Do not rely on colour alone to distinguish links or important statuses from regular text.

Test the typography with real content. Short sample headings and perfect amounts of text hide weaknesses. Long service names, Norwegian compound words and extensive product descriptions reveal whether the design can actually handle the content the company has.

Use the visual identity to create prioritisation

The website should naturally express the company’s identity, but brand colours and graphic elements must be used with purpose. When strong colours are used on headings, backgrounds, illustrations and multiple buttons at the same time, prioritisation disappears.

Decide which visual elements signal action, which organise content and which simply build identity. The most important button on a page should be easy to find, but not every button can be the most important.

Images should also contribute to understanding. A photograph of an actual delivery, work situation or professional often provides more relevant information than a generic atmospheric image. Visual identity works best when it supports the content rather than competing with it.

Test the navigation with a keyboard and on a small screen

A menu that works with a mouse on a large screen can be difficult to use on mobile or with a keyboard. Accessibility should therefore be part of the menu test, not treated as a final check.

Try opening, navigating and closing the menu without a mouse. It should be visible which element has focus, and the order should be logical. Submenus must be operable without precise mouse movements. On mobile, buttons and links must have sufficient space, and the menu must not cover important content without providing a clear way to close it.

Also consider the language. “Read more” says little when a user navigates with assistive technology or scans a page quickly. “See our accounting services” or “Book a needs assessment” explains where the link leads.

Align conversion with the user’s decision stage

Conversion is not just about making the contact button larger. The action must fit how far the user has progressed in their evaluation. A new visitor may be ready to compare services, but not to book a meeting. An existing customer may be looking for support and should not have to go through sales content.

Therefore, define one primary goal and a few supporting goals for each core page type. On a service page, the primary goal might be a qualified enquiry, while the supporting goals are to view the work process or read a relevant example. On a product page, the goal might be to request a quote, download product information or find the right contact person.

Remove actions that do not support a genuine user task. More choices do not automatically produce better results. Often, they make it harder to understand what the company wants the user to do.

Turn the findings into concrete design requirements

After the test, the findings should be compiled into a short decision document. Describe which tasks the navigation should support, which terms users understand, which pages need to be easily accessible, and which action paths each page type should offer.

Distinguish between documented problems and personal preferences. “Management likes blue buttons” is a preference. “Test participants overlooked the secondary grey button” is an observation that can be investigated and improved.

Prioritise changes according to their impact. Unclear service names, hidden contact information and menus that cannot be used with a keyboard should be addressed before decorative details. This ensures that design work focuses on problems that actually affect comprehension, accessibility and business goals.

Redesign only when the direction is clear

The menu test does not provide all the answers, but it reveals whether the foundation is sound. It can be carried out quickly, requires no finished prototype and makes discussions more concrete. The company gains a shared language for what the website should help users do, instead of discussing taste.

Once the structure, navigation and action paths have been clarified, typography and visual identity are given a clearer purpose. Redesign then becomes more than a new surface. It becomes a targeted improvement in how customers find their way, understand the offering and take the next step.