Infinite scrolling: three design tips

If you are considering embracing infinite scrolling as a core feature of your website’s design, there are a number of things you need to know about the impact of this approach.

Image Credit

There are plenty of major examples of sites that have put infinite scrolling to good use, including popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Unfortunately, it is equally easy to find users of such services asking how to disable this feature on help forums, which suggests it is not appropriate for every site.

Here are three design tips that should allow you to deploy infinite scrolling successfully.

Content equality

Infinite scrolling is a great way of making sure that all on-page items, usually in a list form, receive the same level of exposure and thus have an equal opportunity of catching visitors’ interest; however, by eliminating any kind of hierarchy, you need to make sure that each piece of content is relevant and related to the next, if only tangentially.

This means that when deploying infinite scrolling in an e-commerce environment, you may need to consider how easy it is for visitors to rediscover products after they have scrolled past them. Retaining category distinction and comparison capabilities is worthwhile, even if you choose to give people the option to display all available products on a single page.

Visual advantages

Infinite scrolling is best combined with content that is not solely text-oriented, particularly on sites that are not necessarily directly involved in the social media bubble. When it comes to presenting a large number of high-quality images, this design decision is easier to make. You also need to be aware of how the design of your website may or may not affect your search rankings. It is always best to consult with an SEO services in London business such as https://www.elevateuk.com/seo-services when looking for ways to enhance your search rankings.  Touchscreen devices will work well with this approach to web design as a result of these benefits, which is worth keeping in mind if you are targeting a mobile audience.

Assess site goals

Be aware that goal-oriented sites will not necessarily suit infinite scrolling; if there is no end, visitors will never get to where they want to go.

If, on the other hand, a site is intended to present content that helps people to pass the time and has no specific endpoint, other than perhaps promoting a brand, then it could be ideal.