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There's been quite a lot of UX research on this, and the concept of "the fold" simply doesn't exist for webpages. People scroll and scan, even the least knowled

There's been quite a lot of UX research on this, and the concept of "the fold" simply doesn't exist for webpages. People scroll and scan, even the least knowledgeable ones.

jessriedel 16y ago
Not when they're in the process of typing.
- statictype 16y ago
  When most people are in the process of typing, let's face it, they're looking at the keyboard and hardly at the screen at all, let alone, scrolling down.
brlewis 16y ago
You're exaggerating. Web users spend 80% of their time looking at information above the page fold. The part of what you're saying that's true is that people scroll at all. This is new. See http://www.useit.com/alertbox/scrolling-attention.html http://www.useit.com/alertbox/scrolling-attention.html
- userthis 16y ago
  And yet that page had at least 7 folds. I think the goal of enabling visitors (and expectation of visitors) to utilize strategic navigational features and view key information within the top portion of the page is valid. And yet, convention dictates web site navigation to be concentrated within specific page areas (top, bottom, sides) and most visitors can anticipate certain features and functionality to reside within one of those areas as best (popular) practices are copied and commoditized. Search results are not the same as the loud flashy bleeps and blips on the latest MTV website. There's an expectation that a user will navigate through the page, on to multiple pages if the first page is either full of useless ads and/or SEO pollution or unsuitable expectations. I personally believe 'the fold' of a web page is a bunch of crap. But that's just me
- photon_off 16y ago
  You're both right. Users aren't reluctant to scroll if they believe there is something they want to see. However, most pages are designed so that all of the relevant stuff is above the fold. Most of the time, you just don't need to scroll down, because the page is set up to have the most relevant things above the fold, and the least relevant things below.
  - brlewis 16y ago
    We're both right, except for the part where he said that the concept of "the fold" simply doesn't exist for web pages.

There's been quite a lot of UX research on this, and the concept of "the fold" simply doesn't exist for webpages. People scroll and scan, even the least knowledgeable ones.

jessriedel 16y ago

Not when they're in the process of typing.

statictype 16y ago
When most people are in the process of typing, let's face it, they're looking at the keyboard and hardly at the screen at all, let alone, scrolling down.

brlewis 16y ago

You're exaggerating. Web users spend 80% of their time looking at information above the page fold. The part of what you're saying that's true is that people scroll at all. This is new. See http://www.useit.com/alertbox/scrolling-attention.html http://www.useit.com/alertbox/scrolling-attention.html

userthis 16y ago
And yet that page had at least 7 folds. I think the goal of enabling visitors (and expectation of visitors) to utilize strategic navigational features and view key information within the top portion of the page is valid. And yet, convention dictates web site navigation to be concentrated within specific page areas (top, bottom, sides) and most visitors can anticipate certain features and functionality to reside within one of those areas as best (popular) practices are copied and commoditized. Search results are not the same as the loud flashy bleeps and blips on the latest MTV website. There's an expectation that a user will navigate through the page, on to multiple pages if the first page is either full of useless ads and/or SEO pollution or unsuitable expectations. I personally believe 'the fold' of a web page is a bunch of crap. But that's just me
photon_off 16y ago
You're both right. Users aren't reluctant to scroll if they believe there is something they want to see. However, most pages are designed so that all of the relevant stuff is above the fold. Most of the time, you just don't need to scroll down, because the page is set up to have the most relevant things above the fold, and the least relevant things below.
- brlewis 16y ago
  We're both right, except for the part where he said that the concept of "the fold" simply doesn't exist for web pages.