User blog comment:BertH/Layout and navigation updates coming October 3/@comment-4528041-20120920151403/@comment-188432-20120920195742

Oh I can't let that bit of misinformation pass, The 888th Avatar.

The new nav bar is inferior in a number of ways that can be readily defined:


 * It's ugly. Way ugly. Way, way ugly. Seriously, it doesn't, in its default condition, even match the gradient that's used a mere 100px above it for the Wikia nav bar. But, because it takes up the majority of the width of the content area, it looks like it should match the Wikia navbar. How are aesthetics functional? People click pretty things.  If this is an attempt to drive traffic, it's not working.  Yes, I know Wikia have offered this rather spurious evidence that there's more clickthrough from the new navbar, but obviously they've stacked the decks on that data.  If it's installed in more places, then obviously it will have bigger numbers.  Their stats aren't an indication of preference, but inevitability.


 * The subject matter on some wikis, like w:c:tardis, is so vast that the increased number of navigation points is not as impressive as it might first seem. It's fine on a smaller wiki like w:c:factionparadox. but when you're talking about a subject like one of the big entertainment franchises — Star Trek, Star Wars or Doctor Who — a few more navigation columns don't make that much difference. In fact, they confuse the issue, because they necessitate more choices about what to leave out of the navbar.


 * There's absolutely no proof that this particular method of navigation — over, then down — is easier to use than a simple drop-down menu. I'd need some serious usability studies before I was convinced that the average person would naturally choose this "stick shift" navigation over simple drop-downs.