Imagine a web page that goes on forever. We don’t have to imagine – that’s what infinite scrolling is for. This highly popular design trend is both loved and hated.
While there’s nothing wrong with pagination, there’s something about endless scrolling that just seems to work. Despite its flaws, most users love it.
So why do we enjoy it so much? Are we too lazy to click a page number or a next button? Possibly. Or, we just love endless choice.
No Sudden Breaks
Think about watching TV for a moment. We’re right in the middle of an ultra-intense moment and WHAM! Suddenly, we’re taken out of the show and we’re watching a commercial for some prescription drug or a new car. It destroys the moment and we’re left waiting for 3-5 minutes for the show to return. By then, we’re not as invested as we were before the commercial break. That’s one of the reasons streaming is so popular – no interruptions.
The same logic applies to infinite scrolling. It’s popular because it keeps site visitors in the moment. For instance, if they’re scrolling through a series of images, they don’t have to take a break between one page and the next. It’s a seemingly endless page of images. They scroll happily without interruption until they’re done.
No Waiting For New Pages
We’ve covered the infinite scrolling versus pagination debate before and one problem with pagination is the need to load individual pages. None of us like to wait. With infinite scrolling, the user experience improves because pages are loaded in the background. This creates a seamless transition between pages.
When users are seeking information, they want it Right. This. Second. Requiring them to click a link or push a button and then wait a few seconds for a new page can ruin the overall experience.
The Simplest Navigation Possible
Navigation should always be intuitive. What’s more intuitive than scrolling? No links, no menus – just scrolling. Sometimes it’s just the sheer ease of use that makes infinite scrolling so popular. Users don’t have to think about anything but the content.
While menus are still important, better UX demands simple navigation. We’ve all visited that one site where we couldn’t figure out the menu or the link to get to the next page was so small, it took forever to find it. All of that kills UX.
Perfect For Visual & Social Content
Think about sites like Pinterest and Facebook. It’s easy to simply keep scrolling to check out new posts. It’s visual and social content sites where infinite scrolling shines. For instance, when we’re looking at images, it’s relaxing to just scroll and enjoy. When we want to see all the latest pins or posts our friends have shared, all we have to do is scroll.
While infinite scrolling isn’t right for every site, it’s become such a popular UX trend because of certain sites that showcase every single benefit of the trend. These sites keep users engaged mainly because of infinite scrolling. For instance, if users had to constantly click from page to page or friend to friend to view content on social media, they’d get bored by having to search for content. Infinite scrolling continues to give them the social and visual content they crave.
Endless Options
We all love having options. With infinite scrolling, we get exactly what we want. While all those options are actually one of the downsides, when done right, users are actually happier. For instance, when we want to watch YouTube, there are endless options in front of us. When we log onto Facebook, we have an endless newsfeed filled with memes, pictures and statuses.
It might sound overwhelming, but many users love the idea of endless options being delivered to them just by scrolling. It gives them control without making them feel like they have to choose. For users, it’s a way to relax and just enjoy a site’s content.
Infinite scrolling is hugely popular, but it’s not for every single site. Remember to put UX first and if it fits the users’ needs, don’t be afraid to implement this trend.
Images: Joel Filipe, Qusai Akoud, Nathan Dumlao