The menu structure should be as simple and logical as possible. It is necessary to avoid long menus designs, submenus serving no clear purpose, in which the user has difficulty finding the right command, incomprehensible pictograms and names. Long multi-level menus become a real catastrophe without careful planning.
Too complex menu hierarchy
Programmers who create multi level menus usually follow the rule that there should not be more than seven items in any menu. However, this rule should apply to beginners rather than to professionals. Experienced user will choose to save time by opening nested menus, long lists of commands do not bother him at all. The main thing is that the menu has been carefully planned.
Inadequate navigation rules for menus
Even from the menu with moderately nested structure, the user should be able to return to the previous menu at any time, go to the uppermost level and exit the program. Even if there are hundreds of items on the menu, special key combinations should be provided for quick selection.
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Too many paths to the same place
If the same commands are present in a variety of menus, the program’s hierarchy explicitly requires the restructuring. It is not that the command could never be added to several menus – in some cases, it is very convenient to do so, but there are certain restrictions. If there is a sense that you can navigate anywhere within the program, it is more likely that it has complex internal structure, which means that the tester has the right to doubt its reliability.
Impossibility of transition between certain states
Some programs after the user performs certain actions within them do not allow him to exit the mode which he has used, until he restarts the program. As a rule, there is no objective necessity for such a restriction.
Linked commands are present in different menus
In a complex menu, it’s not easy to group the commands correctly. The designer may not think about the connection between the two elements and place them into different menus. When writing a report on such an error, explain how these elements are related, and suggest which menu is the best for their placement.
Unrelated commands are combined in one menu
Some commands can be inserted anywhere in the menu because someone was too lazy to think which group is best for them, and maybe it would be necessary to reorganize the entire menu or add to it another element of the highest level.
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