Scrolling:
Scrolling is sliding or moving of texts, images, videos across the display screen. There are two ways of scrolling: horizontal and vertical.
Parallax Scrolling:
- It is a technique of customising CSS (Cascading style sheet) to alter speed rate of different layers of a webpage.
- It creates a 2D depth to the webpage.
- Parallax scrolling was first used in animation for video games in 1982.
- Only in 2011, this concept was applied to web design.
- By altering speeds of different layers, it creates an impression of different background and foreground.
- It is mainly used in single page websites or long pages.
Advantages:
- Engages the user:
- Parallax scrolling uses multimedia like images, videos etc. to create an interactive and visually appealing experience for the user.
- The transition from one layer to other keeps the user engrossed.
- It also gives a sense of futuristic technology which makes it more interesting for the user, leading to high visitor count.
- Linear flow of information:
- Since it is a single page the web designer can control the flow of information and convey the exact message without any diversions or distractions.
- In a website the information is arranged in accordance with the web designer’s logic. The user cannot be expected to follow designer’s sense of logic and might feel lost or leave with incomplete information.
- Ideal for Mobile Phones:
- With the advent of smart phones, access to the world wide web has become even easier.
- It has become very important for a website to be optimised for mobile use. Many websites have launched their mobile version.
- Since the mobile screens are comparatively smaller than conventional desktops or laptops it becomes difficult to manoeuvre among various navigation buttons.
- But with Parallax scrolling all a user has to do is scroll to access all the data present on the page.
Disadvantages:
- Unsuitable for larger websites.
- Increases latency:
Since Parallax scrolling consists of a lot of multimedia content, the time taken to process requests or load the page increases.
- Accessing Specific Data Becomes difficult:
Single page website presents all the information in one page. Targeting specific information can be tedious without any headers.
- Difficult to evaluate content on basis of user requirement.
- Overuse due to easy implementation process:
This concept is overused and some of the critics have stated that its use in some of the web pages have been unrequired. The overdose of multimedia can sometimes hinder or deter potential of the content. With different screen sizes, sometimes the layers tend to overlap. The process of implementing parallax scrolling is simple and some designers tend to overuse it ruining the whole experience.
When used in moderation and for appropriate web content parallax scrolling can raise quality, access and popularity of a web page by manifolds. After years of standard technique of scrolling, Parallax might prove to open the doors for many new technologies to flourish in web design.
