Infinite Scrolling: Why We Should Stop Using It

If you’re thinking about having the endless scrolling feature on your site, as a web design Singapore company, we always refer our clients to this article. Infinite scrolling is a term used to refer to a web design technique that loads content continuously as the users scroll down the page without ever needing to reload the page. The success of this technique on social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have made this looks like one the “must-haves” on your website. 

But, does it mean you have to build your websites based on this too?

The answer is not necessary. This technique works by appending new content dynamically at the bottom of the screen as the users scroll down the page. This results in a limitless stream of content that continues to grow with the user’s engagement. Theoretically, this technique can reduce interaction cost, especially for mobile users, by saving clicks. However, web designers are trained to ascertain the page length by the relevance of information and not by random measurement. 

Users prefer to scroll down long pages when the content share the same level of granularity and is highly related, such as when finding a product from a specific category. Endless scrolling does more harm than good on eCommerce sites. It might be difficult for the users to quickly locate a particular item if all the products are presented linearly on a never-ending page, without sorting or other filtering or navigation techniques to help isolate the intended article. 

With pagination, there is a header and footer. One of the many concerns with endless scrolling is the lack of footers on these websites. Users are familiar with and understand how footers work. For years, designers and developers have taught users that a footer will appear at the bottom of the page with vital information of the website such as contact, privacy policy, terms and conditions, and more. 

Infinite scrolling may seem like a perfect replacement for pagination. Whether to use or not to use it in your projects can be a big decision. It’s trendy and fun, but it can also present challenges for designers and users. It’s not the answer for most websites. It’s probably not for you if your users want to achieve goal-oriented activities, such as when they need to find a piece of information quickly.