Scrolling is a fundamental part of navigating the digital world. Especially suited to touch screen devices, scrolling allows one "page" to contain an almost infinite amount of information. When it works, scrolling works really well. But when it's implemented badly, it can cause a wide array of experience problems for the user. Scrolling fatigue is one such problem.

Scrolling fatigue sets in when a user becomes frustrated while scrolling through a website or app and either stops paying attention or quits entirely. There are many ideas about what causes scrolling fatigue and how developers and designers can avoid inducing it in users. It can strike suddenly or creep up gradually. We've all experienced it, and it's the last thing you want to inflict on your users.

There are two types of scrolling fatigue – zombie scrolling and rage quitting. With zombie scrolling, the user stops engaging with the content but carries on scrolling through it. Rage quitting is just as the name suggests – when the user gets so frustrated with the experience that they quit in anger.

Humans have been reading for thousands of years, and the way we do it and how it feels varies depending on the technology we're using. Scanning text is hard work, and our brains do whatever they can to make it easier for us – searching out focus points and potential breaks.

Back when publishing required expensive materials and specialized equipment, publishers crammed as much information as possible on one page to reduce costs. Gradually, norms developed around layout and formatting, which were further codified throughout the following years. Pages of books, newspapers, and magazines were generally crowded, with unused space reserved for fancy art books.

Today, we have digital space and can spread out. Standards and norms have developed around digital space and continue to evolve – as we spend more time online, the focus has shifted from the crowded, chaotic designs of the early Internet to interfaces designed with the user in mind. Upcoming generations are more aware of the physical toll constant connection can take and are making efforts to reduce them.

Scrolling fatigue isn't caused by the user having to scroll. Users have no problem with scrolling when it's implemented well – the problem stems from poor design choices and reluctance to hire an editor. We understand a lot about how humans consume text and can use this knowledge to our advantage.

Although the technology we read with has changed, many of the factors involved in scrolling fatigue would be familiar to a medieval monk or 1950s newspaper devotee. Bad formatting, long-winded writers, and terrible design have plagued readers throughout the millennia.

The major factors involved in scrolling fatigue are:

Most of us have felt the effects of scrolling fatigue at one time or another. We can put the effects on users into two categories – zombie scrolling and rage quitting. Neither is good for your business!

Sometimes we start out zombie scrolling, like when we check our phone without thinking. Other times attentive reading slips into zombie scrolling – like when we zone out attempting to read an app's extensive T&Cs.

Interminable scrolling through huge blocks of text is another factor. Users hate walls of text without cues and break − they need to be able to quickly find what they are looking for without scrolling through ten feet of text.

Scrolling is a great way to present lots of information on a small screen. It's not loved by everyone – some designers think it should be avoided and prefer to spread information across several pages. On the whole, though, users are happy to scroll to find information (as long as they can find what they need quickly).

Some reasons why scrolling isn't going anywhere include:

Scrolling is an integral part of the user interface (UI) and heavily influences the user experience (UX). Because the UX can make or break a product, you'll want to reduce scrolling fatigue as much as you possibly can across the content, design, and navigation.

Think about it from the user's point of view. They want to achieve something, and they want to do it quickly with minimal fuss. Scrolling to reach useful, well-presented information is no problem! But when there's too much scrolling or a generally bad design, it is very off-putting.

A few of our top tips for reducing scrolling fatigue among your users:

There's plenty you can do with your content to reduce scrolling fatigue for your users. A few things to think about when producing content:

Designers have a lot of influence here. Develop designs with preventing scrolling fatigue in mind from the beginning, using elements intelligently to hold the users' interest.

Bad design ruins good ideas, and navigation is a big part of that. There are several ways to make scrolling easier on users:

Robust, consistent testing is an essential part of producing a successful product. Incorporate testing for scrolling fatigue from the beginning of the process, and continue testing throughout.

Some types of testing where you could measure scrolling fatigue include:

So, we've explored how to create products that are comfortable and engaging for users without inducing scrolling fatigue. By understanding how users perceive and process information presented on a screen and drawing on the wealth of research that exists around this topic, we can spare users from scrolling fatigue, improving their experience of our product. Read more about scrolling as part of UX design.

With the right UX tools, you can prevent scrolling fatigue. Consult with us today!