Should you use Infinite Scrolling or Traditional Scrolling on your Website?

Front End Development, News & Info, Web Design, Web Development
Infinite Scrolling, Infinite Scrolling or Traditional Scrolling, Should, Traditional Scrolling, use, website
8 August 2014

Infinite scrolling is essentially a kind of web interface design that permits users to surf website content by continuously scrolling down the page, instead of clicking on webpage links to navigate. This method automatically loads the page before the user gets to that point, instead of new pages of content being loaded after a user clicks on a webpage link.

This web design method is effectively employed by such social networks as Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. It’s no surprise that several websites are trying to follow their lead… but they often fail. One of the reasons infinite scrolling functions are successful on Pinterest and Twitter is not because of their huge followings and multi-billion dollar financial backing. It is because these web sites have an enormous flow of user generated contented that is constantly updated. In this state, infinite scrolling proves to be the finest solution to offer quality consumer experience.

So what are the advantages of infinite scrolling that several websites these days opt for?

Ideal for Touch

In today’s multi-device world it is of great importance to have user friendly UX on both desktop and mobile gadgets. And as most of the mobile phones and tablets are made with touch technology you ought to concentrate on touch optimisation. This is where infinite scrolling beats the alternative. The small screen dimension of a mobile gadget demands forward thinking technology to show the content in a method that is more suitable for the consumer. Making a user tap those little page links to get to a new page of content is not ideal and highly time consuming.

Visual Orientation

This is perhaps another promising trend on the net that is based on the premise that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. And the most excellent way to convey image-heavy content is infinite scrolling. This way the user will not be distracted from their pleasant experience by the requirement to find and click the subsequent link. Flickr and Pinterest are great instances of how visually oriented web sites gain an advantage from infinite scrolling.

Easy and Fast Browsing

Infinite scroll pages are typically faster than regular web pages. The reason is that as the consumer scrolls down the page, more content loads mechanically in the same page, eliminating the need to click on webpage links and reload pages each time. This saves on loading time, which is beneficial not only from a consumer’s point of view but from the SEO viewpoint as well.

However, if you select infinite scrolling as the best option for your website, try to apply several best practice methods to make certain that your web site meets customer expectations.

JTB Studios are experts on web development including Infinite Scrolling. To incorporate this feature into your website, visit http://www.jtbstudios.com.au

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