I recently came across some interesting comments about what designers commonly refer to as “the page fold.” In the print world, this concept originated with folded newspapers. The theory is that any content displayed “above the fold” on the top page would be the key to someone buying the paper and continuing to read. Without something to hook readers in that section, you risk them not picking up the paper at all.
That concept has carried over into web design, with designers and content developers pushing the content most likely to hook readers into the area immediately visible without scrolling. Is that unwarranted?
A design agency in the UK thinks so. But I’m not entirely convinced. For example, I just read about Facebook’s new redesign. Based on customer feedback, they are moving the birthday list “above the fold.” In other words, customers don’t like having to scroll to see who’s celebrating a birthday. Or, more likely, they are missing birthdays because the information is not immediately visible when the page loads. (Confession time: I admit to the later.)
So here’s what I think: users will scroll for information they deem scroll-worthy. However, they might get lazy and forget sometimes, so just in case you might want to put the really-good stuff in the top part of the page (you know, the place otherwise referred to as “above the fold”)…
Recent Comments