Review: Interesting Navigation Effects

Recently, I ran across two navigation effects based on jQuery that warranted some mention here (and some purposeful use on this site). Both menu systems are based on the standard unordered list and both designed for very distinct purposes.

jQuery Menu

The jQuery Menu by Filament Group adds a unique twist to the typical nested, hierarchical drop-down menu by incorporating an iPod-like navigation experience as an option. The highly configurable jQuery menu also provides standard drop-down/fly-out style navigation and fully integrates with jQuery UI Themes. A full explanation, examples, and source can be found on the Filament Group’s Web Site.

Fisheye Menu

The Fisheye Menu, included as part of the Interface Elements for jQuery package offers a dock-style menu similar to that found on the Mac desktop. The menu allows for the use of custom icons and backgrounds, setting minimum and maximum sizes, and the proximity required for the fisheye effect. A demo, documentation and source can be found on the Eyecon Web site. Another demo with customized icons can be found on the N.Design Studio Web Site, and yet another demo can be found directly below this article.