fix : Redesign navbar with modern UI/UX improvements

[Riya-Ahirwar]

What I Changed

We completely redesigned the navbar to make it look and feel more modern and premium.

Logo & Branding

• Changed the "CodeLabz" text to have a cool purple-to-blue gradient instead of plain text
• Made it bolder (font weight 900) to stand out more
• Added a glowing shadow effect when you hover over it - gives it a nice interactive feel

Navigation Links

• Updated all nav items (Home, Explore, Courses) to use Inter font so everything looks consistent
• Added smooth animations - when you hover, the text gets bolder and scales up slightly
• Fixed the "Popular Tags" button so it stays on one line and doesn't break on smaller screens

Explore Menu Redesign

• Replaced the old bulky sidebar with a sleek dropdown menu using MUI Popover
• The menu now pops up right below the logo (on the left side) - used useRef to anchor it properly
• It has rounded corners at the bottom and blends seamlessly with the navbar

Mobile & Desktop

• Cleaned up the desktop version - removed the extra sidebar that was taking up space
• Mobile hamburger menu still works great
• Everything looks good on all screen sizes

Technical Implementation

• Used MUI's sx prop for modern CSS styling with gradients and hover effects
• React Hooks (useRef & useState) to manage dropdown positioning and state
• React-Headroom for sticky navbar behavior (hides on scroll down, shows on scroll up)
• Firebase integration to display user profile picture and login status
• Google Inter font throughout for premium, consistent branding

Testing Done

• Works on Chrome, Firefox, and brave
• Tested on mobile and desktop
• All hover effects and animations are smooth

Navbar.UI.2026-04-09.104646.mp4