Tabs are an invaluable element of web design that helps you display a large amount of related information in a small space. At worst, even if they don’t save a significant amount of space on the page, tabs help categorize that information. Although in a different context, categorizing the information you share with your customers is one of the most important things you can do when building your site.
In fact, the goal of good web design is precisely to separate one piece of information from another and present it in the most readable way possible, which also increases the comprehensibility of the information you present.
Tabs serve precisely this purpose – to present initially related information, the amount of which would make it difficult for users to perceive. It is entirely possible that the information you provide in the form of tabs can also be presented in the form of separate sections, but this depends a lot on the type of information you intend to present.
Tabs are usually used for information that is in the form of text. Easily digestible forms of content, such as videos, photos and illustrations should not be the main method of presenting information in the sections, as it is much more convenient to be visible.
To be easily usable, the tabs/sections should have:
Title/Label
Imagine that you are creating an element with sections in which you explain the specifics of a certain product. The product, in this specific situation, we assume that it is the category, that is, the title that stands above all the sections. The title, which shows users what content to expect in these sections.
We could equate the individual sections to separate “publications” in this “category”. Therefore, each of the sections should have its own title, which should indicate with one (at best) or a few words, through which you can prepare users for what they are about to read/see when they open the section in question.
For example:
The section of the site is called
“Name of your product”
And it has the following sections:
Design; Features; Benefits;
Each of the sections has its own title, which is:
⭐️ Logical enough to be recognized by users
⭐️ Short (1-3 words)
Pane
A panel is the part of the “section” element in which we place all the information we want to share with users. The panel is what contains the information and is displayed when selected. Each tab has its own panel, with its own content.
Usage
As we mentioned, we use tabs to filter a large amount of information that is related.
Style
It is good not only for the “tab” element to adopt the colors of your brand, but also to have an obvious difference between which is the currently active (open) panel. Which part of the related information the user is viewing.
Structure
The tabs should be close enough to each other to see that they are related, and they should also be separated by an equal distance from each other.
You could also put some thought into how you arrange them, since usually the first tab is open by default. Therefore, in this place you should place either the most important information (the one you want people to see) or the one they most often search for or, in a pinch, the one they are expected to be most familiar with.
NB! All sections should behave in the same way when interacting.
