Scroll webdesign11/21/2022 Let’s now cover its most common uses: To Conceal Secondary Content There are a few instances in which horizontal scrolling may be effective if implemented carefully and precisely. Given the problems with horizontal scrolling, you might wonder if there’s ever a case where such a function would be useful.īut don’t rule it out just yet. A page element with both horizontal and vertical scrolling can disorient, and is difficult for people with motor impairments to use.įor those with physical limitations, mental limitations, or just less experience with tech, horizontal scrolling is often an unnecessary obstacle that can be avoided with better design. It presents challenges for accessibility.Īn extra scroll dimension compounds the difficulties of plain vertical scrolling, especially when both are used at the same time. In this scenario, most simply won’t be bothered to engage with content outside the viewport. If they do happen to notice the cues, it still might not be clear to them what the hidden content actually is. But, there’s still a chance users will miss it. This problem stems from a lack of expectation - if users don’t know that horizontal navigation is coming up on a web page, they won’t look for it, missing out on potentially relevant content.Ĭlear visual cues to horizontal navigation, such as arrow icons or informational text, can partially resolve this problem. These users must either move to the arrow keys or click and drag the scroll bar. Trackpad and mobile users may swipe sideways to reveal content, but this isn’t possible for desktop users equipped with a standard mouse. Horizontal scrolling is more physically demanding on users as well. Users in need of the horizontal scroll bar also need to locate this element, which takes extra work. We’re not used to the extra cognitive load, and this negatively impacts our viewing experience. Mentally, we must adjust to the new scroll orientation and process content entering from a new screen direction. Horizontal scrolling, on the contrary, has a much higher interaction cost. It’s also ergonomically efficient to scroll vertically, thanks to your mouse wheel, trackpad, or arrow keys. Again, we expect it, so we hardly need to think to do it. Vertical scrolling has a low interaction cost. Interaction cost comprises (1) how hard we have to think about a task and (2) the physical effort required to complete the task. In UX terms, interaction cost is the amount of effort it takes for a user to complete an action, such as interacting with a page element. So, it’s typically best to keep the vertical scrolling on both your desktop and mobile sites. What about touchscreens, though? While the emergence of smart mobile technologies has normalized the sideways swiping gesture (looking at you, Tinder), users will naturally scroll down on a mobile website if unprompted. And many will just assume your page/page element is broken. But, defying this particular convention without a clear purpose will confuse and frustrate visitors more than engage. It’s okay to break a design rule every so often to add some visual flair and spice. So, naturally, users will expect to scroll this way and not left-to-right. Aside from the occasional stylistic embellishment, every web page structures its content vertically. Vertical scrolling is the navigational norm. Even I’m not too keen on it myself for a few reasons: It violates users’ expectations. Opinions on horizontal scrolling skew negative among both web designers and web users. That might sound a bit harsh, so let’s expand on it and discuss why you probably aren’t scrolling sideways all too often. This is because horizontal scrolling is widely regarded as an ineffective and outdated UI method with few practical uses. Whereas vertical navigation is foundational on the vast majority of websites, we see horizontal much less frequently. Here's an example of vertical scrolling on a photographer's website: In other words, the scroll wheel causes the page to move horizontally across the screen rather than vertically. Horizontal scrolling can be achieved by clicking and dragging a horizontal scroll bar, swiping sideways on a desktop trackpad or trackpad mouse, pressing left and right arrow keys, or swiping sideways with one’s finger on a touchscreen. Horizontal scrolling is a page navigation method in which the user scrolls left and right to reveal content from the sides of the window or container.
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