From 14d227d46a2177a8928333894252d6299f531097 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bradley Taunt Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2023 12:25:51 -0500 Subject: Trying to render posts all at once --- posts/bidirectional-scrolling.md | 37 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 37 insertions(+) create mode 100644 posts/bidirectional-scrolling.md (limited to 'posts/bidirectional-scrolling.md') diff --git a/posts/bidirectional-scrolling.md b/posts/bidirectional-scrolling.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..019c331 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/bidirectional-scrolling.md @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +# Bidirectional Scrolling: Why Not Both? + +2020-11-09 + +*I recently came across Adam Silver's post [about the merits and pitfalls of bidirectional scrolling](https://adamsilver.io/articles/bidirectional-scrolling-whats-not-to-like/)* and found myself conflicted with the design arguments put forth in the article. It's a very good article overall, and I suggest giving it a read before digging deeper into my post here. + +## The Premise + +The original article argues that displaying page content via horizontal scrolling (and therefore slightly hiding interactive content) creates a few major issues: + +- it increases the chance users won't see it +- there's a greater reliance on digital literacy +- it's generally more labour intensive for users + +Adam also makes a solid statement here: + +> Having to scroll down and across in a zig zag fashion can be tiresome, especially for people with motor impairments. + +But I don't believe these issues create a need to completely remove the horizontal "scrolling" design altogether. You can still implement the `See All Items` category link, while allowing the horizontal content to load in *dynamically*. Balance is always key. + +## Not All At Once, Please! + +So what exactly do I mean by *dynamically* loading in horizontal content? + +- The user is shown the top 4 items in a given category +- From there, the user can use the `See All Items` link to jump into a full category page +- If they so desire, they can begin scroll horizontally in a given category row + - Once they reach the end of the row, 4 more items will load in automatically to expand the list + - To avoid a never-ending list, it might be best to limit total row items to ~20 items. At this point the UI could prompt the user to `View All Items` in that category. + +By loading the row content in piece-by-piece, initial loads for users will be faster and subsequent list items will load quickly as well (since they would limit to a set default - in this case only 4). + +## Final Improvements + +Below you can find a quick, static version of this concept. Here you can see the horizontal list items, along with their corresponding `See All Items` links. You'll have to use your imagination for how new items would load once you each the end of a horizontal row. (I'm too lazy to spend extra time building out that functionality for a hypothetical blog post) + +[Live CodePen Example](https://codepen.io/bradleytaunt/pen/pobxpXz) -- cgit v1.2.3-54-g00ecf