Web Design Trends 2026 - #2 - Experimental Navigation: Redefining Exploration in Web Design

As Canada’s web-design community continues to evolve, one trend stands out for its bold creativity: experimental navigation. For years, users have relied on familiar patterns — the classic top navigation bar, or the universally recognized hamburger menu. Today, designers are pushing beyond these conventions, crafting navigation experiences that are more intuitive, immersive, and playful. 

A standout example is Bruno Simon’s portfolio ( https://bruno-simon.com/ ), which abandons traditional navigation entirely in favor of a playable 3D world. Rather than clicking through a menu, users drive a small car through a low-poly WebGL environment rendered with Three.js. The physics engine (Cannon.js) makes movement feel realistic — collisions, momentum, and interactions all obey the laws of a game. There’s no visible UI — the world is the interface — and visual cues (like road tiles and signposts) guide you toward his projects, biography, and contact info. Exploring this site feels like exploring a little sandbox: it’s playful, immersive, and deeply engaging — it invites you to stay, explore, and discover. 

Another compelling implementation is found in Canal Street Market’s ( https://canalstreet.webflow.io/ ) design. Here, navigation becomes almost tactile: pages reveal themselves like unfolding panels, giving users a sense of continuity as they move through the experience. You never feel as though you’re “leaving” one part of the site for another — everything is elegantly connected. 

At WAC, like the exploration of how the web can be experienced. Experimental navigation can help storytelling, brand expression, and the emotional connection between users and digital experiences. It reminds us that the future of web design lies not just in what we build, but how we invite people to explore it.