Analyze the differences between traditional paging and waterfall stream loading for visitors

Recently, Baidu image search has been upgraded and revised. After the revision, we can see several major changes, of course, the most obvious of which is the display mode of image search results. We can see that after the changes, the image search results will no longer be displayed in the previous paging mode. Instead, they will be replaced by a more flexible and dynamic loading mode, which is also a popular waterfall stream Loading Mode in recent years. See the comparison chart.

　　

 

This leads the author to think about the differences between the paging layout method and the waterfall stream loading layout method. For websites, a page often cannot contain information about one aspect. We use multiple pages to display the information in a common mode. Whether the paging layout is used honestly or the waterfall stream loading method is more lively and distinctive, it will bring different site experiences to users, next, let's talk about the differences between the two models.

Paging Layout

The paging layout is the most common and earliest mode. This mode divides a large part of content into several small pieces, then, place these segments separately on some consecutive pages so that visitors can easily find the desired segments. With this layout, visitors can clearly know how long the content they want to watch is, what fragments they have read, and how much content they have read.

We often see pagination on pages with longer pages. Through pagination, visitors can first get to know how long this article is, and use pagination to give readers a pause and rest time. Page turning is also a good way to improve PV for our site users.

Let's take a look at the search results page of the search engine or e-commerce platform. We can also see this paging layout.

　　

 

When we search for a keyword on a search engine or e-commerce site, we cannot predict the amount of content at all, and the layout of pages can intuitively tell the searcher The amount of information. The paging mode also allows you to quickly skip the information you do not want. You can select more flexible content to read. The paging mode allows users to easily return to the previous page. For example, when I searched for a coat, I turned over ten pages and found that the coat on the fifth page looked good, the author can directly go to the second page to purchase an order.

Waterfall stream Loading Mode

In recent years, a more distinctive and lively layout has become more favored by users, namely the waterfall stream loading mode. When a page is rolled to the bottom, the content of the next page is automatically loaded.

We often see this layout on some social media websites, especially shopping sites based on social media, such as mogujie.com and Meili. In this mode, there is no obvious separation or pause between pages. Visitors can browse the pages without restriction.

However, because the content in this mode is automatically loaded, it is difficult to estimate the amount of content that can be found on a page. Continuous loading will make the visitor unable to find the north. How long can a user generate such a page? How much content has been browsed? And so on. It is also difficult for users to return to the content they have seen before.

The two take its essence

Now that we know the advantages and disadvantages of these two models in terms of user experience, we can use them in a targeted manner and use them in combination. Let's look at a case.

　　

 

For example, we can also look at Baidu's image search results page. Baidu's search results page also adopts a loading mode similar to Waterfall stream, however, we can see that Baidu adds a positioning page to each loaded page, which makes it easier for users to return to the page they just saw.

Although the paging or waterfall stream loading mode can be used to provide rich content to users, this small detail can give users different experience. A successful website is constantly striving to meet the user experience needs. As a site, we need to make a mode to meet user needs according to different user needs. Here are some comments from part-time jobs at http://www.jianzhi8.com /.