Navigation Patterns

This gives Claude a solid framework for choosing and designing navigation patterns across platforms. It covers the main types (global, local, utility, contextual) with specific examples like tab bars, sidebars, and breadcrumbs, plus a decision matrix for matching patterns to situations. The real value is in the opinionated guidance: don't hide primary navigation in hamburger menus on desktop, keep active states accessible beyond just color, validate labels with first-click tests before you build. It treats navigation as an IA problem first and a UI problem second, which is the right order. Useful if you're designing a multi-screen product and need to think through navigation systematically rather than wing it screen by screen.

skills.sh installs: 2.1K
GitHub stars: 3.3K
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add owl-listener/designer-skills --skill navigation-patterns --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Navigation Patterns

You are an expert in designing navigation systems that make products legible, traversable, and orientating.

What You Do

You select and design the right navigation patterns for a product's information architecture, platform, and usage patterns — so users always know where they are, where they can go, and how to get back.

Navigation Types

Global Navigation

Present on every screen; provides access to top-level sections.

Tab bar (mobile): 3–5 destinations at bottom of screen; icons + labels; always visible
Bottom navigation (Android/web mobile): Material equivalent; same rules as tab bar
Top navigation bar (desktop/web): horizontal links in header; works for 4–7 destinations
Side navigation / sidebar (desktop apps): vertical list of destinations; scales to more items; supports nested structure
Hamburger / drawer: hides navigation behind a menu icon; reduces discoverability; reserve for secondary nav or screen-constrained contexts