Menus/Navigation handlers in mobile

Navigation and menu handlers are an important element of mobile apps and mobile websites. Below is a small study I did on my iPhone, and the conclusion I came to: there’s no standard for where the navigation handler sits across apps.

Most websites follow the right-side menu handler, including Twitter Bootstrap.

Starbucks Website’s responsive navigation handler is in the right side.

Microsoft’s Website’s responsive navigation handler is in the right side.

But when it comes to apps, almost all of them follow the left-side menu handler.

Path App’s navigation handler is in the left.

Google+ iPhone App’s navigation handler is in the left.

FourSquare iPhone App’s navigation handler is in the left.

Vine iPhone App’s navigation handler is in the left.

Nike+ iPhone App’s navigation handler is in the left.

Unfortunately, some apps still follow the right-hand side menu handler.

Chrome iPhone App’s navigation handler is in the right.

Apple iOS’s Music app’s navigation handler is in the right.

Nike+ iPhone App’s navigation handler is in the left.

As a right-handed phone user, I always prefer the menu handler on the right side, but there’s clearly no consistency across apps. I’d like to see Apple let users customize the menu handler’s position to suit their preference. For websites, it’s a bit more complicated, though web designers can still make an informed decision based on UX testing, in-lab user testing, and anonymous data tracking with tools like Google Analytics. This becomes especially straightforward when designing for a well-defined target audience.