Side navigation
<gcds-side-nav>

Also called: sidebar menu, lefthand nav, vertical navigation.

A side navigation is a vertical list of page links on the left side of the screen.

• GitHub
• Figma

Side navigation anatomy

1. The label identifies the product site using text or a logo. It also labels the navigation landmark which will be used by assistive technologies. 
2. The nav link is a link to a page or section on the product site.
3. The nav group is a collection of nav links related to the nav group name. It can be collapsed and expanded.
4. The nav group label identifies the nav group and acts as a button to expand and collapse the nav group.
5. The nav group chevron icon points up when the nav group is collapsed and down when it’s expanded.
6. The nav link with active indicator gives visual prominence to the current page.

Design and accessibility for side navigation

Set the label

• The label can be a shorter version of the full name.

• For logos, include descriptive text.

Note: On mobile, the label does not link to the homepage.

Choose meaningful nav link text

• Make link text clear and specific to help a person decide if they should leave the current page. Spell out where a person will go or what they’ll find when they select a link.

• Keep link text short and distinctive so a person can scan the links and find what they’re looking for.

• If using breadcrumbs, align the content hierarchy in both sets of links, so each component reflects a similar path through the site.

Tip: Read nav link text aloud in sequence to note similarities in how link text sounds when read by an assistive device.

Add navigation groups to the side navigation

• Opt to include a second or third level with a navigation group to the side navigation.

• Use a hierarchical structure of up to 3 levels to categorize and order nav group items in a logical manner.

• Nest items into categories consistent with the product’s information architecture.

Organize nav group items alphabetically

Improve findability in nav groups with 7 or more nav links by ordering the links alphabetically – or numerically for items represented by numbers.