Hamburger button
The hamburger (also known as options, hotdog or pancake) button or menu is a button placed typically in a top corner of a graphical user interface.[1] It takes the form of an icon that consists of three parallel horizontal lines (displayed as ☰), suggestive of a list,[2] and is named for its resemblance to the layers in a hamburger, a pile of pancakes, or a hotdog in a long bun.[3]
Selecting (tapping or clicking) this button results in a menu being revealed (sliding out or popping up), which distinguishes it from a menu bar, which is always on display.[1]
Use of this icon as a graphical shortcut originated in order to save space on smaller devices (like smartphones).[3]
On devices with even smaller user interfaces, the wider hamburger button may be reduced to three vertically stacked dots (displayed as a tri-colon or vertical ellipsis ⋮ ),[4] from which it may also be described as a kebab.[5]
Compared to other computer menus, a hamburger button increases interaction cost and pay out in less space usage of the screen.[6]
Hamburger buttons have been criticized by TechCrunch as a "poor design choice" in apps for mobile devices.[7]
The icon was originally designed by Norm Cox as part of the user interface for the Xerox Star,[2] and it saw a resurgence starting in 2009 stemming from the limited screen area available to mobile apps.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b Bawcombe, Libby (August 27, 2014). "The hamburger menu-icon debate". The Atlantic. Atlantic Media. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ^ a b Campbell-Dollaghan, Kelsey (March 31, 2014). "Who Designed the Hamburger Icon?". Gizmodo. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- ^ a b Lessin, Jessica (March 18, 2013). "What's a 'hamburger' button? A guide to app features". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ^ "Why did Google choose to use vertical three dots icon instead of Hamburger icon on Chrome? - Quora". www.quora.com. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ Bravo, Gonzalo. "Kebab Menu". thenounproject.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ^ Budiu, Raluca (August 31, 2013). "Interaction cost: Definition". Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|trans_title=,|day=,|month=, and|deadurl=(help) - ^ Constine, Josh (May 24, 2014). "Kill the hamburger buttons". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ^ "A Brief History of the Hamburger Icon". placeit.net. October 29, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
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