I’m not the worlds biggest fan of drop down or expandable menu’s, but I would not dismiss using them. They often improve navigation. My big problem with them is they are often tiny, or clumsy, and end up creating more work than they are worth.

Yesterday I was doing an analysis of this site, Spanish Courses in Argentina, and found a fantastic example on how to do one right.

Why is it Great?

First, the main menu items have drop down arrows indicating that there is more below. Many, or should I say most sites do not have that. Those sites need to get with the plan, and start including them.

Second, text and menu was large enough that it was easy to use with little chance for error.

Third, the hyperlinks were expanded beyond just the text. This makes it even easier to use without error. Notice the highlighted “Contact Us” link that I have taken in the screenshot. The entire orange space is the hyperlink, not just the text.

Fourth, clicking on the main menu buttons without expanding them still navigates you to the first page listed. It’s not just a title, it’s as it appears, a link.

Finally, the fith great technique they used was to have the main menu item change color when the visitor is anywhere within that category. This gives the same effect as breadcrumbs, but without the extra menu.

If you are considering building an expandable or drop down menu for your own site I would suggest taking lesson from this site. Their links could have used titles, and maybe it could have been coded differently, but in regards to usability I give it two thumbs up. Will I be learning Spanish in Argentina? No.