Web design trends and innovative design practices are constantly emerging. So you can’t be complacent as a SMB, and keep running the same old website without any updates, changes or developments. But choosing how to redesign your website, or design a whole new website, can be a challenge. Especially when you want to make a bold statement in a digital world where websites frequently look exactly the same as one another. But this is where side scrolling websites can be a good choice. Side scrolling as an option is still a young design theme, and it has yet to be adopted by major companies and brands. And this means that using this web design option could easily help your website stand out to customers and create a memorable browsing experience. But what are the considerations for a side scrolling website? And how can you use side scrolling web design effectively? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design experts. We create stunning web design solutions, for businesses and companies across the North West. This includes Southport and Wigan. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything you should know about side scrolling websites.
What is side scrolling?
Side scrolling is also known as horizontal scrolling, and does exactly what it says on the tin. Essentially, instead of scrolling down the page to get more information, your users will move horizontally, either via a button, or a swiping action, onto the next page of your website. This type of web design can be effective for mobile web design, and responsive design. This is because the entire content can transfer to different screen sizes and still be easily accessible and fully usable. The only minor tweaks that will be necessary are the typography size and image spacing.
What are the most important design considerations for a side scrolling website?
So, what do you need to consider when creating this type of website? Well, you should take into account:
- A minimalist design- With a side scrolling website, you want the majority of the important information to be above the fold. This means that your website users can get the information they are looking for, quickly and easily. But you also want to just stick to the main information, and remove anything that doesn’t need to be there. By minimising the content on the screen, you can place more emphasis on the content that is there.
- Navigation bar- a horizontal scrolling website suits a horizontal menu bar at the top oft he page. This means that while the page content scrolls across to the next page, the navigation bar highlighter element can change colour or effect. This helps users know which page they are on at any time, and can help them navigate more quickly to the page they need, improving the user experience.
- Number of clicks- when using a side scrolling website its important to reduce the number of buttons you use. So for example, do not hide the menu or navigation bar under an icon, as this increases the number of clicks your users need to make to get what they need. And it increases the interaction cost. Your users are already swiping through the website pages, so fewer clicks can be a good counterbalance.
For more information or advice about professional web design solutions for your company, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.