Embracing the Ease of Vertical Scrolling

When you’re browsing through your Facebook feed, enjoying Instagram reels, or exploring Twitter Threads, how often do you find vertical scrolling to be a chore? Do you ever feel like reaching the bottom is a struggle? Or perhaps you’ve longed for a break in the form of horizontal scrolling?

If you’re like me, the answer is probably a confident never to these questions.

So, why do we often hear concerns about long pages being cumbersome to scroll through on websites? In my experience, it’s a common worry among stakeholders, even though our daily interactions with long social media feeds tell a different story. Recently, I’ve been working on landing pages for a well-known national company, and these pages naturally contain a lot of content due to the diverse interests of many stakeholders. While landing pages are ideally concise and goal-oriented, sometimes the amount of content makes them longer than usual. This can lead to concerns about the page length and how it might affect user experience.

But here’s the thing: scrolling is a natural and intuitive action for users. It’s something we do effortlessly and without much thought, especially in our daily online interactions. So, why not embrace it? Instead of worrying about page length, we can focus on organizing content in a way that flows naturally and keeps users engaged.

Consider the alternative solutions often proposed, like carousels or sliders. While these can be visually appealing, they often hide content in a way that users may overlook. Studies have shown that users rarely interact with content buried in sliders, which can limit the effectiveness of the information presented.

So, let’s celebrate the simplicity and accessibility of vertical scrolling. By doing so, we can create a more seamless and enjoyable experience for users. As Steve Krug famously said, "Don’t make me think." Let’s keep it straightforward and user-friendly, making it easy for users to find what they need without unnecessary interruptions.

In embracing the vertical scroll, we can create more intuitive and engaging experiences that resonate with users and make our web pages more effective.