Interactive design: Paging or loading, which is a problem

"Editor's note" the author of the article @ Yoyo published in his personal blog. Whether on a Web page or a mobile application, information is often not displayed in a single page, which requires some http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/12878.html to extend the page's information "> Interactive mode: Paging (pagination) and loading (continuous scrolling). Paging and loading are very common interactive mode, we will encounter every day, it is because too common, we do not even feel the existence of them, browse to the bottom of the page, see the page on a smooth point, automatically loaded to continue reading.

But it is this small point that will give the user very different subtle feelings. This article will talk about the big difference between these small differences.

Paging can be a large section of content into small pieces, displayed on a separate continuous page, user-friendly understanding and search. It lets users know exactly how much content they have to browse, what parts they have browsed, and how much they have left. Pagination enables users to have a clear expectation of what they are browsing.

Long articles are bound to be used for pagination. One is to give users the content of the expectations, the second is to provide a pause for visitors. If the user read an article has turned over more than 10 screen, scroll bar or stay in the middle of the browser in the position, it should be more desperate.

Take a look at the search engine and the electricity merchant website, also must see the paging control.

When searching or viewing a list of items, the amount of content cannot be expected at all, and the first function of paging naturally tells the user how much information to browse. Second, pagination allows users to quickly skip some of the information you do not want to see, or quickly jump to the home page or the last page, the choice of the content to browse. Third, the paging is very easy to locate and find, perhaps in search of a skirt, I have turned to the fifth page, suddenly remembered that the second page seems to be good, you can directly jump to find it quickly.

Paging controls actually create a natural pause for the content of the Web site, and this pause is used well to make the product more rhythmic. But when a user browses through a page of content, they have to stop reading, and click to jump to get more. Admittedly, this pause will interrupt the user's thinking to some extent. When it comes to paging, the user is likely to think, is to continue browsing? or leave the website? So when you encounter pagination, you tend to lose a part of the user.

Continuous loading is an interactive pattern in contrast to pagination, where there is no clear boundary or pause between the messages. When the page scrolls to the bottom, the new information is automatically loaded in.

A variety of social networks are particularly fond of this kind of control, users will not be interrupted, can be a smooth browsing down, immersed in it.

But because the information is loaded automatically, the page does not seem to end, it is difficult to predict the content of the page exactly how much. Just loading can make users feel lost: how much of this page? How many things have I browsed? When can I finish reading this page? For a page that doesn't stop, it's difficult for users to search for information they've seen before. But for this kind of leisure and entertainment-oriented products, it is very suitable to use the loading method without interrupting the user's information flow.

When using pagination controls, users must click to see more content, so information acquisition is the user's unsolicited request. While using continuous loading, the new information is automatically loaded in, the user is passively accepted.

There are pros and cons to paging and loading, and many of today's web sites take a compromise: page loads.

such as Quora, will automatically load 4 times after a "more" button, in the continuous flow of information, give users a pause, let them go to the initiative to obtain more information.

Sina Weibo also took this tradeoff, automatically loaded two times after the paging. For most users, browsing micro blogs in their spare time, loading two of times content has been able to satisfy them, for users who need to browse more information, let them know how much they have browsed.

To enable users to see more pictures quickly, Google image search is also a continuous loading of the way, but in the search for pictures, users also need to clear their own position, it is likely to go back to look just saw the picture, so Google on the same page also monogram the page number, easy to locate and find. This is another way to compromise.

With smaller screens and more changeable mobile phones, sliding is clearly simpler and less prone to misoperation than precise clicks. Mobile phone end product information architecture is relatively simple, user browsing time is relatively short, the use of attention is also relatively dispersed. So most apps will use continuous loading. Also load page controls are more space-saving.

But products such as search engines retain the design of pagination.

The choice of loading or paging is only a small point in the design, but the outstanding products are made up of countless small dots. According to the characteristics of the product, choose the most appropriate way to interact with it is the interaction designer to do.

Original link: Paging or loading, this is a problem