Quick Tip: What is a "Hamburger" Menu?

I got a call from one of my people the other day: "I am supposed to open my Hamburger Menu. What in tarnation is that?  Do I need to hit a McDonald's?"  I laughed and explained it is just a term for modern day application menus.

Those of us who computed pre-Windows recall having to remember what each function key did.  We used templates for every program, reminding us which function key corresponded to what menu command.  When Windows came out, using function keys was replaced with using pull down menus, accessed via the ALT key or through a mouse click.  We got used to using pull down menus.  We liked pull down menus.  But then they started disappearing.
   

   

The "Hamburger Menu" is what has begun replacing pull down menus.  This is, in part, due to the "Mobile Revolution" and the proliferation of smartphones and tablets.  On mobile devices, touchscreen and taps replace mouse clicks.  Pull-down menus were difficult for fat fingers.  Mobile devices do not have a lot of screen real estate either, leaving little room for a menu to stretch across the screen.

To make things easier for users, software developers try to standardize interfaces.  They try to make it as consistent an experience across platforms and devices as they can.  That is why mobile conventions are starting to creep on to the Desktop.  Programmers want you to recognize an icon and immediately know its function.  They want the same icons on mobile and PC, so that a user will know what an icon does no matter where s/he sees it.


Simply put, the Hamburger Menu is the name for those little three bars.  They are usually located in the upper right hand corner of a desktop or mobile app.  (The icon is supposed to conjure a mental picture of a patty between buns.) The images that follow show the Hamburger Menu, both open and closed, in all three major browsers.

     

So, the name for those 3 dots or lines in the corner of your application is the "Hamburger Menu." Menu commands previously contained in pull-down menus are now reached via the Hamburger Menu.  Next time someone refers to the "Hamburger Menu," you will know where to tap or click.

What are your thoughts on this new menu format?  Share your own thoughts in the comments section below.  Personally, I prefer pull-down menus and keyboard shortcuts to Hamburger Menus.  I activate pull-down menus whenever and wherever I can.