To Scroll or Not to Scroll

Common beliefs about scrolling is that it has a negative effect on your overall site experience - that users will get to the page and only click links that appear above 'the fold' (the line at the bottom of the browser where content begins to be cut off). While it is true that scrolling does have a negative effect on usability, recent studies have shown that scrolling does not have as negative an effect as once thought, and in some cases may be beneficial.

Users have become more used to scrolling in last few years, and are much more likely to scroll down the page to find the information that they need. At the same time, users still needs a visual clue that they have come to the right page. Titles, headers, breadcrumbs, mastheads and logos are still all essential elements, and should appear above the fold.

On pages where a user must choose from a variety of links or options, it is generally better to place any important links above the fold. While users may know or understand that additional links may be lower on the page, the opportunity for impact is highest with a link placed higher on the page. Content should be prior For long articles that users will want to read (or scan) in their entirety, it is better to allow users to scroll through the document than to have them load page after page of short, concise copy.

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   + To Scroll or Not to Scroll