A website contains some content that is viewable by users. The layout is usually set to have a definite width, but with a height that can go beyond the screen limits. The users have to scroll down to view the following blocks. In most cases, a single page is set to contain a few blocks and by scrolling down, users can reach the bottom and hit the footer menu. In some other cases, scrolling down will reveal more blocks and the page seems to have no ends. This is called the infinite scroll. Well, this procedure would have some advantages as well some downsides. It may also be preferred in some businesses created by a freelance web designer Singapore.
The infinite scroll: what is it?
The infinite scroll is a script that allows all the pages of one section of the website to display as one page. The trick is to load the next page after the previous page has been scrolled up. The infinite scroll is then a method that reduces the number of pages to load. It is probably intended to reduce the need for hitting buttons and links everytime you need to go further in exploring the content. Social media platforms (facebook, twitter…) are based on this type of scroll.
Achieving the infinite scroll:
The infinite scroll is achieved by implementing and activating a particular script on the webpage. The script is an open source JavaScript (.js) file that you can get the link –the path of the .js file. The script comes with necessary instructions to activate it. It can be activated by using a jQuery, HTML, and JavaScript (vanilla).
Advantages of the infinite scroll:
The infinite scroll seems to be a good way to make the content appear as infinite. The new content that is continuously displayed at the bottom is seen as feeds. The advantages of the infinite scroll can be summarized as follow:
- Allows the user to keep up the continuous updates, very frequent in the social media websites, where users are adding new content at a fast pace.
- Allows the website owner to emphasize the most important news. The most important news are, therefore, allowed to display in the first place.
- Preserve the content flow since the URLs are opened automatically and the sequence is memorized; therefore the flow is maintained no matter how time you refresh the page.
- It is very useful for the mobile devices because it allows displaying the content on one page.
Downsides of the infinite scroll:
However, this scrolling technique has major downsides, and therefore it is to use carefully and properly. The main bad effects of such technique are:
- The overall loading speed of the page will increase with the height of the displayed content. In fact, as you scroll down, the browser cache will get staffed with the content and the new content will load slowly. That affects the UX.
- You will lose a very important element which is the footer of the webpage. This element contains valuable links to other pertinent sections; the users will, therefore, feel as forced to browse the current section. They will leave the infinitely scrolling page and the website.
Conclusion:
The infinite scroll technique is definitely a cool behavior to add to the website. However, it is a feature to apply only on the website with continuous updates and real-time display of users contributions. The infinite scroll is good but has its limits.