hubbar

Hubbar is a term used in user interface design and information architectures to describe a central bar or control that sits within a hub-and-spoke style layout. The term is not standardized and its meaning can vary across projects.

In UI design, a hubbar is typically a persistent navigation or action bar anchored to the main hub interface. It may appear as a top or bottom bar and usually contains quick access to core functions such as home, search, notifications, user profile, and commonly used actions. In responsive designs, the hubbar often adapts to smaller screens by collapsing items into menus or overflow areas.

In data integration and IoT platforms, the hubbar can denote a panel that summarizes the hub’s connected resources—devices, data streams, pipelines, or rules—providing status indicators and shortcuts to manage those resources. It serves to keep essential controls reachable while the user explores related hub content.

Design considerations for hubbars include accessibility, ensuring keyboard navigability and screen reader support; consistency with platform conventions; clarity between hubbar and similar elements like toolbars or navigation bars; and performance implications for dynamic content.

Etymology and usage: hubbar combines hub and bar and is used primarily in product documentation and design discussions. It is not a standardized term in formal UI taxonomies, and some teams prefer alternative labels such as hub navigation bar or toolbar.