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From editorial series to cinematic brand films, every project here tells a visual story shaped by emotion, aesthetic, and direction.
From editorial series to cinematic brand films, every project here tells a visual story shaped by emotion, aesthetic, and direction.
UI/UX Design
Why navigation confusion is rarely a visual problem
When users cannot find a feature or get lost inside a product, founders often ask a designer to fix the navigation bar’s visual styling. But the actual problem is usually information architecture, meaning the underlying structure and labeling of content and features, not how the navigation looks. A navigation bar with beautiful icons and poor structure will still confuse users, because the confusion lives in the organization, not the surface styling.
Structuring around user mental models, not internal org charts
A common information architecture mistake is organizing a product’s navigation around how the internal team thinks about the product, which departments own which features, rather than how users actually think about their own goals. A user does not care that reporting and billing are built by different internal teams. They care about completing their own tasks, and the navigation structure should mirror those tasks, not your org chart.
Card sorting as a simple research method
Card sorting is a straightforward research method where users are given labels representing features or content and asked to group them in a way that makes sense to them. Running this exercise with even five to eight real users often reveals groupings that differ significantly from the internal team’s assumptions, and those groupings become the foundation for a navigation structure that matches actual user thinking.
Labeling matters as much as structure
Even a well organized structure fails if the labels used for navigation items are internal jargon rather than language users actually recognize. A section labeled Provisioning might make perfect sense to an engineering team but mean nothing to an end user looking for account setup. Testing navigation labels with real users, not just internal stakeholders, catches this mismatch before it ships.
Practical example
An HR software client working with Belgana had a navigation structure organized around internal product modules, payroll, benefits, compliance, built separately by different internal teams. A card sorting exercise with actual HR managers revealed they thought in terms of employee lifecycle stages, hiring, ongoing management, offboarding, rather than internal module names. Restructuring navigation around that lifecycle model made the product significantly easier to navigate for its actual users.
Frequently asked questions
How many items should a primary navigation menu have?
Five to seven top level items is a reasonable guideline for most products. Beyond that, users struggle to scan and remember the full set of options.
Is information architecture only relevant for large or complex products?
No, even simple products benefit from deliberate structure and labeling. Problems compound as a product grows, so establishing good architecture early prevents larger restructuring work later.
How often should information architecture be revisited?
Any time a significant new feature area is added, it is worth revisiting whether the existing structure still makes sense, rather than simply appending a new navigation item to an aging structure.
See examples of this kind of product design work in our portfolio
More questions about working with Belgana Studios
What product design services does Belgana Studios offer?
Belgana Studios offers UX audits, UI design, onboarding design, design systems, and full product design support for teams building or refining a digital product.
What does the Belgana Studios process look like for a product design project?
Most product design engagements start with research and an audit of existing flows, move into structured design work, and close with documentation the team can build from.
Does Belgana Studios only work with early stage startups?
No, Belgana Studios works with early stage founders shaping a product for the first time as well as scaling teams improving an existing product experience.
How do I start a product design project with Belgana Studios?
Reach out through the contact page to schedule an initial conversation about your product design or UX needs.
Why navigation confusion is rarely a visual problem
When users cannot find a feature or get lost inside a product, founders often ask a designer to fix the navigation bar’s visual styling. But the actual problem is usually information architecture, meaning the underlying structure and labeling of content and features, not how the navigation looks. A navigation bar with beautiful icons and poor structure will still confuse users, because the confusion lives in the organization, not the surface styling.
Structuring around user mental models, not internal org charts
A common information architecture mistake is organizing a product’s navigation around how the internal team thinks about the product, which departments own which features, rather than how users actually think about their own goals. A user does not care that reporting and billing are built by different internal teams. They care about completing their own tasks, and the navigation structure should mirror those tasks, not your org chart.
Card sorting as a simple research method
Card sorting is a straightforward research method where users are given labels representing features or content and asked to group them in a way that makes sense to them. Running this exercise with even five to eight real users often reveals groupings that differ significantly from the internal team’s assumptions, and those groupings become the foundation for a navigation structure that matches actual user thinking.
Labeling matters as much as structure
Even a well organized structure fails if the labels used for navigation items are internal jargon rather than language users actually recognize. A section labeled Provisioning might make perfect sense to an engineering team but mean nothing to an end user looking for account setup. Testing navigation labels with real users, not just internal stakeholders, catches this mismatch before it ships.
Practical example
An HR software client working with Belgana had a navigation structure organized around internal product modules, payroll, benefits, compliance, built separately by different internal teams. A card sorting exercise with actual HR managers revealed they thought in terms of employee lifecycle stages, hiring, ongoing management, offboarding, rather than internal module names. Restructuring navigation around that lifecycle model made the product significantly easier to navigate for its actual users.
Frequently asked questions
How many items should a primary navigation menu have?
Five to seven top level items is a reasonable guideline for most products. Beyond that, users struggle to scan and remember the full set of options.
Is information architecture only relevant for large or complex products?
No, even simple products benefit from deliberate structure and labeling. Problems compound as a product grows, so establishing good architecture early prevents larger restructuring work later.
How often should information architecture be revisited?
Any time a significant new feature area is added, it is worth revisiting whether the existing structure still makes sense, rather than simply appending a new navigation item to an aging structure.
See examples of this kind of product design work in our portfolio
More questions about working with Belgana Studios
What product design services does Belgana Studios offer?
Belgana Studios offers UX audits, UI design, onboarding design, design systems, and full product design support for teams building or refining a digital product.
What does the Belgana Studios process look like for a product design project?
Most product design engagements start with research and an audit of existing flows, move into structured design work, and close with documentation the team can build from.
Does Belgana Studios only work with early stage startups?
No, Belgana Studios works with early stage founders shaping a product for the first time as well as scaling teams improving an existing product experience.
How do I start a product design project with Belgana Studios?
Reach out through the contact page to schedule an initial conversation about your product design or UX needs.
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