But how do messy menus affect the UX of your site?

If people aren’t forced to use your services, they won’t bother navigating through a complicated website.

Hotjar has the simplest and cheapest solution - branded icons.

They also use images to solve a completely different issue.

Create bespoke icons for crowded menus

Here’s Hotjar’s menu with and without icons:

Which one makes it easier to find information? If you’d go for the one without icons, that’s a bold one! You’ll have to run user tests with your audience to confirm that.

Our money is on icons, though. The elements with icons are more distinct and have visual anchor points.

The benefits compound for returning visitors. As they get familiar with your menu, they start relying on icons more and more.

Just think about the last time you’ve used a phone that looks like the call icon on your smartphone. Yet, we’re still using the old-fashioned icon - such is the power of visual cues and habits.

It’s the best solution out there and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. We got our icons for £20 a pop and they work like a charm.

Level up with brand illustrations

Hotjar has a deliberate illustration style. They want the brand to make you feel. Each stroke and colour communicates emotions people experience while browsing websites.

It’s a powerful branding tool, but for us, it has two user experience benefits.

First, the distinct style helps people find the right information on the site. You can’t miss the illustrations.

And second, the illustrations work even better for returning visitors - a big segment for a SaaS company. Here’s a testimonial from a Hotjar user that proves how well it works:

“The orbs and journeys remind me of user journeys within insights.”

Who said design & user experience can’t go hand in hand?

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Thanks for reading!

Tomasz Lisiecki

Tomasz oversees NerdCow's key focus on delivering innovative services for clients.

Lukasz Sieron

Lukasz assists with directing website development projects, writing clean and efficient code.

Dawid Zimny

Dawid ensures the steady progress of projects. He always stands ready to lend a hand.