Why is navigation important?
Anchor link to section titled "Why is navigation important?"Navigation is how merchants move from task to task. A good navigation structure enables merchants to complete tasks easily and without friction. Build your app’s navigation around what merchants need to do.
Navigation elements display in the following areas:
- App nav
- App header
- Page header
Navigation is important
All apps need navigation to be clear and usable. Failure to follow our navigation guidelines could result in rejection during the app review process.
Information architecture
Anchor link to section titled "Information Architecture"Information architecture (IA) is the practice of organizing sections so that they make sense as a whole.
Why is IA important?
Anchor link to section titled "Why is information architecture important?"sIA shows merchants where they currently are, and how to navigate the rest of the app. It should be obvious what previously happened and what will happen next.
Rely on the relationship between the app nav and app body components to guide merchants where they need to go.
Use the fewest possible categories to define what your app does.
Mandatory
Merchants should be able to return to the previous page without using the browser button. To achieve this, your app can provide breadcrumbs or a Back button on the page.
Unacceptable
Don’t use an excessive number of pages and interactions. Anything above six pages is hidden under a View More section.
Unacceptable
Don’t send merchants outside of the Shopify admin for key actions or during primary workflows. This can be a frustrating experience.
Mandatory
Label the landing page, or homepage, of your app in the side navigation. Make the label the app’s name.The app nav gives merchants a way to move between pages of your app.
The app nav is located in the sidebar in the Shopify admin and in the header in Shopify mobile.
Mandatory
If your app has different sections, then use App Bridge’s NavigationMenu component to integrate the sections with navigation in the Shopify admin and Shopify mobile.
Mandatory
Make navigation items short and scannable. Use nouns instead of verbs to keep the navigation menu concise.
Caution
Shopify recommends a maximum of six pages in theNavigationMenu component. The rest will be truncated and more difficult for merchants to access.
Unacceptable
Don’t replicate the app nav content in the app body. It creates unnecessary repetition and makes navigation confusing.
Unacceptable
Don’t place the main navigation in the page header. This can mislead merchants. The page header is reserved for in-page actions.The app name represents a way for merchants to identify your app across multiple touchpoints in the Shopify admin.
The app name can be shorter than the Shopify App Store listing, so that it fits into the app nav.
Info
To change your app name, navigate to App setup in the Partner Dashboard.
Mandatory
Keep app names short, with no more than 20 characters. Anything beyond 20 characters is truncated and might be confusing for merchants.
Unacceptable
Don’t put a description in the app name. Put the description in the Shopify App Store listing instead.Navigation icon
Anchor link to section titled "Navigation icon"Submit a navigation icon that displays in the app nav. The navigation icon is gray when it’s inactive and green when it’s active.
To learn more about designing your navigation icon, refer to the visual design guidelines.
Info
To change your navigation icon, navigate to App setup > Embedded app in the Partner Dashboard.
App header
Anchor link to section titled "App header"The app header contains main structural pieces for your app. It’s the header that merchants will interact with throughout the entire app experience.
The app header contains the following elements:
- App icon and name
- Pinning icon
- Overflow menu
Overflow menu
Anchor link to section titled "Overflow menu"The overflow menu is reserved for additional support information about your app.
The overflow menu includes the following content:
- About this app
- Support
At this time, the overflow menu isn’t customizable.
Info
On mobile, the option to pin the app is collapsed into the overflow menu.
Page header
Anchor link to section titled "Page header"The page header contains titles and actions for a specific page.
The page header should, at the very least, contain the page’s title. You can optionally add more elements, like buttons.
Tip
Use App Bridge’s TitleBar component to integrate with the Shopify admin’s navigation. This helps your app stay within recommended guidelines.Page title
Anchor link to section titled "Page title"The page title should be short and describe the general purpose of the page.
Try to limit each page to a single purpose. Merchants prefer focusing their attention on specific tasks, and splitting their attention might damage the user experience.
Primary and secondary actions
Anchor link to section titled "Primary and secondary actions"The primary and secondary buttons in the TitleBar component initiate a page-specific action.
Primary and secondary button labels should have the following attributes:
- Clarity and predictability: Merchants should be able to anticipate what will happen when they click a page action.
- Action led: Button labels should always lead with a strong verb that encourages action. To provide enough context for merchants, use a {verb}+{noun} format.
If you need more than one secondary action, show them all in a More actions secondary dropdown.
Mandatory
Offer merchants clear and predictable action labels.
Caution
Include only one primary and one secondary action in the TitleBar component. If more than one secondary action is present, then the additional actions get truncated into an action menu.
