List the tasks people need to complete: start, continue, change settings, understand controls, pause, and leave safely. Use labels that describe those tasks. A visually clever symbol may still need text if its meaning is unfamiliar.
Test every supported input
Keyboard, controller, mouse, and touch navigation can behave differently. Check focus visibility, selection order, back behavior, and whether the player can get stuck. A menu that works with a mouse may be impossible to complete with a controller if focus was never planned.
Keep settings understandable and reversible where appropriate. Show the effect of a change, retain useful defaults, and ask before a destructive action such as deleting progress. Important confirmation text should be readable and specific.
Check the real display
Review text size, contrast, layout, and safe areas on the target devices. Long translated labels and large text can expose problems that short English placeholders hide. Audio settings should remain usable without requiring the player to tolerate loud sound first.
Observe someone unfamiliar with the project navigating from launch to play and back out again. If they need guidance, record the exact point of confusion. A polished menu is one that helps the player reach the experience reliably, not only one that looks good in a screenshot.