As the percentage web browsing done on mobile devices continues to skyrocket, we as designers have needed to rethink many layout issues in our websites. Extensive navigation menus are essential for visitors to find their way to your content, but can quickly become a frustration. Screen real estate is at a premium as the device gets smaller, and user interaction is completely different on a handheld device (tapping and swiping vs clicking and hovering). The old tried and true static menu with dropdown child items is great for a desktop browser, but they can be a nightmare to scale down.

Below we’ll analyze a few popular types of mobile navigation, their pros and cons, and their most useful applications.

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