5 Things you should know about Parallax Scrolling in Web Design
The parallax scrolling in web design means movement. We have all, unknowingly, visited a site which seems to be moving. Parallax, precisely, means the perception of distance between objects when on the move. It is, thus, a measurement between two objects on a webpage which are not really moving. It is about creating an illusion for the user, much like two-dimensional animations.
Here’s a list of things that you wanted, and should know about parallax scrolling.
History of Parallax Scrolling
Early in the 1940s, the parallax technique was used to create an illusion to depict depth in 2D games. Fast forward to 80s, and it began to garner popularity because of the increasing trend of arcade games. And it gradually sneaked into the world of web designing.
Working of Parallax Scrolling in Web Design
The basic idea behind this technique on a web page is to create an illusion by varying the speeds of different objects. Generally, the foreground images move faster than the ones that are in the background. This relative movement creates an illusion of depth in two dimensions. Parallax scrolling, also known as asymmetrical scrolling, was designed using CSS3 and HTML5 for web designers.
How does a user navigate a parallax scrolling website?
It is entirely different from the typical websites that have several pages on them. In the case of traditional sites, you have to click on the specific link to visit it. However, to move across the content on a parallax scrolling site, one has to scroll through the only page that it has. Some sites place some relevant links to make it comfortable for the users to move.
What makes it good? And what should you avoid?
Parallax scrolling can enhance the user engagement by making the site look attractive and interactive. It is more like story narration, something that users find great. The story in this case proceeds in the form of animations, and photographs. The best part of such websites is that there’s the only page that does it all. You don’t need to shift between the pages to find the content.
However, there’s a negative side of the feature as well. If you make your user scroll endlessly to read the content, there’s a chance that he might not find it appealing. To improve the readability of a site through scrolling, you must include some links and buttons for the users.
Its impact on Search Engine Optimization
User experience and ranking of a site go hand-in-hand. With the increasing mobile browsing, designers have to focus on mobile-friendly sites. However, parallax scrolling may look different on computer and mobile. It can hamper the user-experience, and eventually the ranking of a site. That’s the reason designers avoid to use it on their website. But, there are some content management systems which are entirely mobile responsive. If you use them to build your site, you will have nothing to worry about the SEO.
