Menubar and Toolbar

User Interface (UI) concepts: The classic Menubar and Toolbar / Menu bar or part of W.I.M.P. design. WIMP computing denoting a style of interaction using elements of the user interface providing mouse-operated toolbars and menus to access its functions.

The menubar and toolbar provides unobtrusive dirct access to all the commands in an application while remaining out of the way of the core application work space. This allows for convenient execution for experts while providing guidance and education for novices. Exploring the menubar is how users learned about an application.

The Decline of Usability

The classic Menubar and Toolbar are being replaced by newer UI design elements such as:

• Ribbon
• Hamburger Menu

These modern replacements are not better, just different. The Ribbon menu was a studied attempt at being more efficient. The Google Hamburger Menu is a way to address different mentalities or the lazy lack of menu exploration enthusiasm in millennial and younger generations.