Scrolling, Friend or Fiend?

Oct 28, 2022 | Design, Web

Mouses have a scroll roller/button. Why? Because sometimes the screen is too small and it is necessary to have more room for content. To access the off screen content the user is given the option to scroll the page up or down to view content larger than the screen. SOOO, is scrolling a good thing or a bad thing??

Do people scroll?

Short answer, yes they do.
It is often believed that users don’t scroll when they land on a webpage. But since the invention of heat maps and other interactive tracking technologies, it can be confirmed that users do scroll, a lot in fact. Users are often quick to scroll, to the point they rarely see the second slide on a hero slider, and almost never see the third slide because they are already to the bottom of the page. Users don’t read, but they do scroll!

Should you encourage users to Scroll?

You can, but only if done tactfully.
A nice scroll down button, or arrow can be helpful in guiding users down the page, but they are not necessary. If your user base is older, using directions throughout your site like: Scroll Down, Click Here, etc. is a good idea.

Design is important!

A poorly designed web page can stop users from scrolling
A false bottom occurs when your content fits so perfectly on the page, the user is tricked into thinking they are seeing the whole page and doesn’t feel the need to scroll. It is important to have images or text bleed off the bottom of your website so the user knows there is more content down the page.

Is scrolling good or bad?

Neither
Scrolling is a tool to give you more space on the internet. A poorly designed website will have many negative effects on the people using it. Including either helping users scroll or preventing them from scrolling. Good design is paramount.

How to get good design

Many people have an eye for attractive design, but having a professional design your website is always a good move. A professional designer will have insight to user interaction that you are unaware of and help you put together a website that works for the most people, and will be the best help for your business.

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