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I agree with many points but there is definitely a need for custom scrollbars. The reality is that if you have scrolling in the page (like a column layout for

I agree with many points but there is definitely a need for custom scrollbars. The reality is that if you have scrolling in the page (like a column layout for example), you kinda have to customize the scrollbars. If only to not break your layout as scrollbars are completely different everywhere, hidden, different widths, some ugly, some nice, no reliable way to detect the situation, it's a mess. I would opt for more options: give us better tools to style (around) scrollbars, give us the tools to honor what the user prefers, to know when and when not to blend it in with the UI, to increase contrast, or to just leave it alone. Just not customizing is not a realistic solution for a lot of situations.

lolinder 3y ago
Your UI really shouldn't be so unresponsive that the width of an element's scroll bar throws off your design. As for the aesthetics of the scroll bar: it might look ugly to you, but that's what the user expects their scroll bar to look like! Designing well for web requires a bit of a paradigm shift compared to designing a print document or even a native app. You have to accept that you're going to be a guest in the user's browser, and that means you don't have control of everything. Failing to accept that just leads to frustration, but if you can embrace it and strive to be a good citizen of the user's browser, the resulting symbiosis can be beautiful in its own right!
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- codeptualize 3y ago
  > but that's what the user expects their scroll bar to look like! You base that on..? I’ve had users complain about their native scrollbars more than once. Native scrollbars can make things look very broken. In terms of responsiveness, true for a normal website, but sometimes impossible in more complex ui elements (like I said, not the page scroll, but in page scrollable elements) I would really like to see some research on this idea that people prefer native elements, it’s not what I see in user tests and the feedback I get. My experience is that people want a functioning app that doesn’t look broken. My whole point is: we should be able to provide a great experience that’s accessible and allows the user to give their preferences (like prefers reduced motion).

lolinder 3y ago

Your UI really shouldn't be so unresponsive that the width of an element's scroll bar throws off your design. As for the aesthetics of the scroll bar: it might look ugly to you, but that's what the user expects their scroll bar to look like! Designing well for web requires a bit of a paradigm shift compared to designing a print document or even a native app. You have to accept that you're going to be a guest in the user's browser, and that means you don't have control of everything. Failing to accept that just leads to frustration, but if you can embrace it and strive to be a good citizen of the user's browser, the resulting symbiosis can be beautiful in its own right!

deleted 3y ago
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codeptualize 3y ago
> but that's what the user expects their scroll bar to look like! You base that on..? I’ve had users complain about their native scrollbars more than once. Native scrollbars can make things look very broken. In terms of responsiveness, true for a normal website, but sometimes impossible in more complex ui elements (like I said, not the page scroll, but in page scrollable elements) I would really like to see some research on this idea that people prefer native elements, it’s not what I see in user tests and the feedback I get. My experience is that people want a functioning app that doesn’t look broken. My whole point is: we should be able to provide a great experience that’s accessible and allows the user to give their preferences (like prefers reduced motion).