Discord is a popular voice, video, and text chat app used by millions of people around the world. One of Discord’s key features is its drop down menus which allow users to easily access and customize various parts of the app.
What are Drop Down Menus?
A drop down menu is a graphical user interface element that allows users to select one option from a list. When closed, a drop down menu displays a single selected option. When activated, it “drops down” to display the full list of options that can be selected.
Drop down menus are common in web and desktop applications. They provide an efficient way to organize options and hide them until the user needs to access those options. This helps reduce clutter and make interfaces easier to navigate.
Discord’s Use of Drop Down Menus
Discord uses drop down menus throughout the app to provide quick access to various settings and options. Some of the main areas where drop down menus are utilized in Discord include:
- User Settings Menu – Provides options like “User Settings,” “Privacy & Safety,” etc.
- Server Dropdown – Displays the user’s servers and allows switching between them.
- Channel Dropdown – Shows the text and voice channels in a server.
- Member List Dropdown – Displays and filters the member list in a server.
- Voice Channel Options – Lets you mute, deafen, change audio devices, etc.
- Text Channel Options – Includes pins, notifications, and other options.
These and other drop down menus in Discord provide quick access to important features while keeping the interface clean and organized.
User Settings Dropdown Menu
One of the most robust drop down menus in Discord is the “User Settings” menu located next to the user’s profile picture in the bottom left. This menu contains various account, privacy, appearance, and accessibility options.
When closed, it simply displays the user’s profile picture and username. When clicked, it expands to reveal the following sections:
- User Settings – Change username, avatar, and other account info.
- Privacy & Safety – Control privacy settings and safety options.
- Authorized Apps – View authorized third party apps.
- Connections – Link accounts like YouTube, Reddit, etc.
- Billing – Manage Discord Nitro subscription.
- Nintendo Switch – Connect Nintendo account.
- Xbox Live – Connect Xbox Live account.
- PlayStation Network – Connect PlayStation Network account.
- Sound – Adjust sound and notification settings.
- Appearance – Change theme, display language, and other appearance settings.
- Streamer Mode – Enable streamer mode to hide sensitive info when streaming.
- Language – Set preferred language.
- Change Log – View recent Discord changes.
- Accessibility – Enable accessibility options like screen readers.
- Log Out – Log out of Discord.
This condensed dropdown menu allows users to quickly access most account and settings options that previously required navigating multiple screens and menus within the app.
Server Dropdown Menu
The server dropdown menu in Discord is located in the far left bar and displays all the servers a user has joined. It allows quickly switching between servers.
The menu displays the server icons and names in a vertical list. Some key features include:
- A “Home” icon that takes users back to their direct messages and private chats.
- A search bar to search for specific servers.
- Unread notification badges that indicate unread channels/mentions.
- Folder support for organizing servers into custom folders.
- Server options like notification settings, invite links, etc.
This dropdown serves as the central hub for navigating and switching between the communities/servers a user is part of on Discord.
Channel Dropdown Menu
Within each Discord server, there is a channel dropdown menu located near the top of the screen, to the right of the server name. This menu displays the text and voice channels within that server and allows easily switching between them.
The channel menu displays channel names vertically. Icons indicate channel type (text or voice). The menu also includes helpful features like:
- An unread counter next to channels with unread mentions/messages.
- Creation dates showing when channels were created.
- Channel searching to quickly find specific channels.
- Notification toggles for muting/unmuting channels.
- Collapsed sections for categorized channels.
This channel menu provides the core means of navigating through the various conversation spaces within a Discord server.
Member List Dropdown
There is also a member list dropdown within each server that shows all members in the server and their statuses. This dropdown is located to the right of the channel list.
The member list menu has features like:
- Search for specific members.
- Filtering online vs offline members.
- Sorting by date joined, alphabetically, etc.
- Viewing member profiles and starting direct messages.
- Moderation options like kicking, banning, etc.
This provides easy access to the entire member roster and their statuses without having to open a separate tab or menu.
Voice Channel Dropdown
While in a voice channel, Discord displays a drop down menu with various voice-related options. This usually includes:
- Mute/Unmute – Mute or unmute your mic.
- Deafen – Mute all other users.
- User Volume – Adjust volume of specific users.
- Sound Settings – Change input/output devices.
- Voice Settings – Toggle options like push-to-talk, echo cancellation, etc.
Having these options in a dropdown makes them easily accessible while in a voice channel call.
Text Channel Dropdown
Within text channels, there is a dropdown menu with options specific to text chat. This usually includes:
- Pins – View/manage pinned messages.
- Notifications – Change notification settings.
- Privacy Settings – Manage who can view the channel.
- Invites – View invite links to the channel.
- Leave Channel – Leave the text channel.
This allows easy access to text channel options without disrupting the flow of chat.
Other Dropdown Menus
There are several other minor drop down menus in Discord, including:
- A dropdown on the chat box for quickly switching between servers/channels.
- A dropdown for the current voice channel when in server view.
- Drop downs in theDiscover tab for suggested servers and friends.
- A dropdown for managing and previewing custom Discord emojis.
These extras dropdowns improve navigation and access to options when using various Discord features.
Benefits of Dropdown Menus
Discord’s extensive use of dropdown menus provides several notable benefits:
- Easy access – Options and settings are readily available with a single click/tap.
- Reduced clutter – Hides less frequently used options until needed.
- Consistency – Users know where to find options since menus are standardized across the app.
- Flexibility – Dropdown lists can contain many items without consuming too much space.
- Previewing – Items like channels and servers can be previewed before selecting.
- Keyboard friendly – Dropdowns can be easily navigated with a keyboard.
Dropdowns strike the right balance between accessibility, flexibility, and minimizing clutter in Discord’s interface.
Conclusion
Discord uses dropdown menus extensively to provide easy access to its many features and customization options. Key dropdowns include the user settings, server list, channel list, member list, and voice channel menus. These dropdowns are tailored to their specific purposes, like managing servers or channels, while adhering to Discord’s overall design language. The convenience and consistency of Discord’s dropdown menus plays a big role in the app’s intuitive user experience.