Let’s admit the fact that most of the people view at sidebar as just a container cluttered with web stuff having no appeal. Although it does not create any prime focus, it still holds importance from usability point of view. Sidebar is not just space filler; it has the potential to increase the value of website, if it is well- designed. The main function of this feature is to help the site visitors to understand the website more effectively.
Sidebar usually contains informational as well as navigational factors for web visitors’ convenience. It can also contain stuff which is not related to website like daily quotes or advertisements. To create a useful sidebar, the designer has to consider a number of factors like the width, height, number of containers, listing of elements etc. You can enhance the performance of the sidebar by incorporating some visual-appeal to the functionality.
Width of the sidebar:
The width of the sidebar plays an important role in the look and feel of it. The width can either make the web page look remarkable or cluttered.
- Your sidebar should fit satisfactorily on the side; it shouldn’t occupy the center part of the web page. It should complement the overall design of the website
- 200 pixels of width is apt for a website
- In case if you want to incorporate two sidebars on each end of the webpage, then try to keep the width of both the sidebars same
- If you are keeping both the sidebars next to each other, then make sure it is attractive on appearance rather than looking congested
Length of the sidebar:
Too lengthy sidebar is a big turnoff; don’t fill the sidebar with unnecessary stuff.
- Only focus on the elements which will attract the web visitors and eliminate the pointless things
- The length should be small so that the viewers pay attention to all the elements of the sidebar
Color:
How to choose colors for your website? Should it be vibrant or sober?
- To make any space eye-catchy, bright colors are used but generally blogs or websites are already so colorful, thus to bring the sidebar into focus make use of neutral colors
- You can combine 3 to 4 colors together to create an attention-grabbing look
- You can visit some prominent websites and check the sidebar colors which makes the site look attractive and go for similar colors
Headers:
Headers are very important for sidebars as it helps the web visitors to search easily for what they were looking for.
Your sidebar can have a lot of stuff stuffed in it thus users can find it quite frustrating to search, header is a good option to make the sidebar look orderly.
Typography:
If your sidebar contains of multiple stuff, rather than making it look messier, make it look organized by using minimum typography.
Just make use of two fonts, one for the header and other for the text. You can keep the font size of the header a bit larger than the text.
Order of the elements in the sidebar:
When it comes to decide the order of the content, you first need to determine that which factor you want your web visitors to notice first.
- Prioritize the sidebar elements, keep the important one on the top and arrange the rest accordingly
- If your sidebar contains of newsletter, then ensure you place it on to, so that it gets easily noticed
Sidebar should complement the main web content rather than distracting the view. Also make sure the sidebar is not too dull and is attractive enough to easily grab attention of the visitors. Noticeable and eye-catching sidebars might hook the visitors and compel them to click on the elements instantly.
