Separate menu links from buttons that open more choices

What to change

Ask the supplier to make it obvious whether a menu control opens a page or reveals more options, with consistent behaviour on phone and desktop.

A worked example

Illustrative example

The Services text opens the service overview, while a labelled expansion control reveals its submenu. Visitors can deliberately choose either outcome.

Healthcare website design showing connected desktop and mobile service and enquiry layouts. — Make the service and next step clear on every screen.

Healthcare website accessibility illustrated by a focus outline, keyboard key, contrast samples and form. — Review keyboard access, contrast and understandable form fields.

Why this matters to your practice

A service menu can serve two purposes: opening the overall service page and revealing individual choices. Give each purpose an understandable action. This matters particularly on phones, where a visitor cannot hover first to investigate. Ask someone unfamiliar with the site what they expect the label and adjacent control to do, then test that expectation. Your supplier should maintain the distinction for keyboard and spoken navigation as well as for the visual design.

How to check the result

Accept when opening choices and navigating to the parent are predictable across touch, mouse and keyboard input.

A mistake to avoid

A first-click-opens, second-click-navigates convention is easy to miss and often behaves differently on touch devices.

Turn reading into a next step

Your action checklist

Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.

Checks to discussOn desktop and mobile, activate the parent text and any adjacent expansion control separately. Record whether each action matches its visible purpose.Repeat using a keyboard and screen reader (software that reads the page aloud). Ask the supplier to demonstrate the submenu state and the destination link as separate, identifiable controls.Open the submenu, visit a child page and return. Confirm the controls still behave consistently rather than changing meaning after the first activation.

Your answers and notes

Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.

What happens next, and who will do it?

Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.

Related guides

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