An In‑Depth Look at Accordion Design

What is an accordion design?

An accordion is a vertically stacked list of headers that users can click on to reveal more information about a business.

With an accordion, when someone visits your web page, they will see a list of headers. However, the information underneath the headers will not be revealed until the user interacts with the website in some way. An accordion is a great way to save space and improve the efficiency of your website.

For example, a user may click on one of the headers they're interested in to reveal more information. Then, when they're done reading it, they close it, and it will return to its collapsed state. This is a great way to let the user know what information is on the web page without overwhelming them by displaying all of the information at once.

An accordion form design is one of the most versatile tools in web design because it allows for a seamless web page interaction. It can also help you save vertical space on your page because it leaves it up to the user to decide what they want to click on.

Accordion vs. drop-down menu

Both accordion design and dropdown menus have plenty in common. Both allow the following:

• Less clutter: If you're looking for a way to de-clutter your website, you can hide information beneath accordions or within dropdown menus.
• Navigation: Using accordions and dropdown menus can help users better navigate your website without feeling overwhelmed or bogged down by information and content.

However, it is important to remember that accordion web design is much different than simply using a dropdown menu inside your site. With the accordion website design, your website will focus mostly on using accordions to keep content hidden and from overflowing on a page. A dropdown menu is ideal for those interested in creating menus and link trees that are easy to navigate and less confusing for the first-time visitor.

Dropdown menus are another extremely popular element that can be found on personal websites as well as massive commercial sites that represent international organizations. A dropdown bar provides a simplified navigation sidebar or area where guests can easily find the content or information they are looking for on your site. Dropdown menus are ideal for simple links and to help simplify the overall navigation of your website, rather than using dropdowns as elements within pages of your website (similar to how you work with accordion design).

How accordion design works

So, how exactly does accordion web design work? First, you need to decide which headers on the page will be laid out when the user arrives.

For example, you might want to highlight the most critical information about your business as the accordion headers. You can have multiple accordions on one page if you have a lot of information you want to present.

Then, next to each header, you'll want to put an icon indicating more content to be revealed if they click on it. This can be an arrow pointing to the text, a plus icon, a caret, a chevron, or various other symbols.

Then, you need to decide how the accordion will be activated. For example, if the user clicks on one of the arrows, then the content associated with that header will appear. You may also want headers to be triggered if the user scrolls to a certain point or hits a button on the keyboard.

After this, the user can also have the ability to leave the headers in their expanded states or can close them after they've finished reading the content.

For example, if they already have one header revealed and click on another header, does the initial header collapse again? Or can the user open multiple headers at the same time? These are important design elements you need to consider when creating your web pages.

Benefits of accordion design

As you think about building a website for your company, you may be considering using an accordion UI design. There are a handful of benefits to this type of design, such as:

Space-saving benefits

One of the top benefits of accordion design is that it can save a significant amount of space on your web pages. You probably have a lot of information to communicate with your audience, but you do not want it to look cluttered. Otherwise, you could end up intimidating your audience.

Instead, only present the most important pieces of information, and give the user the option to reveal whichever details they want. This type of design can help you save a lot of space on your website and make it look less cluttered.

Improved user experience and navigation

If you decide to use accordion components on your landing pages, you can significantly improve the user experience.

For example, you don't have to worry about your users getting lost when they are trying to figure out where to find information. An accordion is a great way to make it easier for your users to find the information they need, providing them with a better experience.

If a user has too many navigation options, they will get confused and end up clicking off your website and going to a competitor instead.

Accessibility benefits

Another benefit of the accordion design is that it makes your website much more accessible. There are plenty of people who have a difficult time interacting with a traditional website, but with an accordion, you make it easier for individuals with disabilities to interact with the page and find what they're looking for.

Role in responsive design

Responsive design is crucial when creating a successful website, and an accordion design can help you create a website that is easy to navigate.

For example, having an accordion on your website will make it much easier for people to see information on mobile devices. Then, if someone needs to read the details, they can simply expand the section they're interested in.

If you create a responsive website, you will endear yourself to people of all backgrounds, ensuring that your website is accessible on just about every platform.

When should you use accordion design?

Implementing accordion design can be challenging, especially if you are new to the concept. However, there are a few instances that are extremely common for accordion design, including:

Landing pages: If you are concerned about your website's landing page optimization, consider adding accordions to the actual landing pages you create for your website. Accordions on landing pages can help users quickly find the content they are looking for and navigate easily.

Pricing pages: Using an accordion on a pricing page is one way to minimize clutter and confusion, especially if you sell products or services with multiple pricing tiers.

Product features/details: If you are selling a product that includes hundreds of components, features, and highlights, the accordion UI design might be the perfect fit for the product page itself.

How to design effective accordion components

If you want to design an effective accordion component, there are a few key points to keep in mind. They include:

• Select the right headers: You need to select the right headers for your accordion. What are the most important pieces of information on your website? Make each portion a header.
• Pick obvious icons: You need to pick obvious icons that go with each header. Ensure the icons indicate that there is more information to be revealed when clicked.
• Use different colors: You may want to use different colors for the headers and the information that is revealed. That way, your users can tell what is extra information and what is important.
• Take advantage of contrast: It’s crucial that the colors of the accordion contrast with the text. It’s fine to have backdrop colors behind the text, but the text needs to stick out to make it easier for people to read.

Follow these best practices to ensure you get the most out of your accordion web design.

Common mistakes to avoid

When using accordions on your website, you want to ensure you do so with modern website design tactics and methods in mind. Some common mistakes to avoid when using accordion UI design for any website are:

• Avoid using accordions on every page: Do not flood your website with accordions. While accordion form design has its place and purpose, it can become overbearing if it makes up the entirety of your website's design.
• Do not complicate it: When using an accordion, do not overly complicate the process. Choose a web accordion generator, code, or program that works for you and allows you to implement the colors and design aesthetic of your choice into the accordions themselves.

Implementing accordion design

As a business owner, creating the best website for your brand is crucial. Users should be able to easily interact with the page and quickly find what they're looking for, and you can do this with an accordion design. But if you want to implement accordion components into your website design and don't know how to start, use Mailchimp.

Mailchimp is an email marketing platform that can help with everything from graphic design to landing page optimization so that you can create a successful and responsive website for your brand. Mailchimp also has a website builder where you can customize your own website for free.

If you want to create a user-friendly website that can help you separate your business from the competition, take a look at some of the tools provided by Mailchimp today, and build a website that will help you wow your audience.