What’s your favorite go-to app for entertainment? TikTok? Instagram? YouTube? Notice how they all have one thing in common?
There’s not much interface. Just the content, and you!
It feels super satisfying to just keep scrolling and consuming the content, right? It’s almost like you’d never want to stop scrolling because it’s just so addictive and relaxing to keep scrolling through the infinite vertical scroll.
If you want to take a peek at what it really takes to build an iOS app in 4 weeks, check out part 2 of my video series.
What is the infinite vertical scroll?
The infinite vertical scroll provides a never-ending flow of content, which is automatically loaded as the user swipes upward.
This removes the need for users to make active decisions about which content to view next, providing a continuous, uninterrupted browsing experience. Kind of like sliding through a waterslide, right.
In fact, this design strategy makes use of the user’s curiosity and the desire for more content, keeping them engaged and interacting with the app for extended periods.
The simplicity and ease of accessing new content reduce friction and allow users to immerse themselves in the content. At the same time, the user interface is stripped down to its most basic form, requiring just a simple swipe to navigate through content.
This simplicity reduces cognitive load, as users don’t need to learn complex navigation patterns and can interact with the content effortlessly. This makes the users stay a lot longer on the platform, consuming content for many many hours without even noticing it!
When industry giants like Spotify start integrating a design trend, it’s a clear sign of its staying power. The vertical scroll is no longer just for social media—it’s reshaping user experiences across the board.
Smaller new apps like CREME are using the approach in fresh new ways. CREME is insanely great—a design and UX masterclass. When you open the app, you’re immediately immersed in an endless feed of beautiful full-screen video recipes from chefs.
There’s almost no interface. Just the content and you!
Creme iOS App
This shift towards the vertical scroll is more than just a passing phase. It’s the next wave of immersive, engaging mobile experiences that will inform a new generation of apps.
Benefits of the infinite vertical scroll
Before talking about how you could take advantage of this as a beginner UI designer, let’s go through some of the benefits that the vertical scroll has…
Enhanced User Engagement:
The infinite flow of new content keeps users curious and engaged, as there is always something new and unexpected with each swipe. This continuous engagement can increase session times and user interaction with the app.
Simplicity and Ease of Use:
The straightforward interaction model of simply swiping to access new content increases the ease of usage, making the app super easy to use for a wide range of users, even if they’re not tech-savvy.
Content Discoverability:
The infinite scroll exposes users to a diverse array of content that they might not have actively sought out, enhancing the discoverability of new content creators, trends, and information.
Reduced Decision Fatigue:
By continuously providing new content without requiring user input, the app reduces the mental load on users, allowing them to enjoy content without needing to make constant decisions about what to watch next.
So how can you take advantage of this?
As a beginner in UI design, the infinite vertical scroll is a huuuge thing you can learn from and take advantage of in your own projects.
There are several takeaways that you can learn and gain massive insights from this new UI trend:
User-Centric Design:
Focusing on user behavior and needs is super important. Understanding how users interact with content, what keeps them engaged, and what might cause them to disengage is crucial in designing an effective interface.
Content Prioritization:
Understanding algorithms and design principles that prioritize and curate content effectively is vital.
This involves learning about user behavior analysis, content ranking algorithms, and personalized content delivery mechanisms to enhance user engagement and satisfaction.
Interaction Design:
Designing intuitive and seamless interactions involves understanding user gestures, ensuring that the interface responds in a way that feels natural and predictable, and ensuring that additional interactive elements (like buttons or sliders) are implemented in a non-disruptive manner.
Performance Considerations:
Ensuring that the infinite scroll performs smoothly and efficiently is crucial.
This involves understanding lazy loading, optimizing media for mobile viewing, and ensuring that the user experience is smooth and lag-free, even with continuous content loading.
User Feedback:
Actively seeking, analyzing, and implementing user feedback is crucial for iterative design.
Understanding user pain points, frustrations, and desires can guide design improvements and enhancements.
Typography is important in No Interface
You have to make sure that the words aren’t disruptive in any way that affects the user experience. Strategic typography is something that you can’t neglect when designing a project with no interface.
Your typography should be complementary to the visual content. It should convey the necessary information without distracting from the primary content, maintaining a clean and focused user experience.
Readability is key. Ensuring that fonts, sizes, and colors are optimized for various devices and user conditions is non-negotiable. Establishing a clear and effective typographic hierarchy ensures that any textual information is easily digestible and does not overwhelm the user.
You also want to make sure to have a consistent typographic style that aligns with the brand identity. This involves consistent use of typefaces, weights, and styles that resonate with the brand’s aesthetic and values.
Textual content should also be relevant and contextually appropriate, providing added value to the user without detracting from the visual content. This might involve succinct captions, clear calls to action, or subtle content descriptions that enhance understanding and engagement.
🚨 Remember
Your typography has to be accessible and legible for all users, including those with visual impairments or other accessibility needs.
This involves considering font sizes, contrasts, and alternative text descriptions to ensure inclusive design!
In conclusion, the vertical scroll is a powerful way to keep users engaged while giving them a whole new experience in their entertainment.
It’s not going to “die down” like a trend, so learn as much as you can from this wonderful and interesting type of user interface.
This post is an excerpt from Master UI Book, the eBook that helps you design better and scalable interfaces – faster.
And guess what?
By getting this eBook, you’re not just learning about typefaces. You’re also getting the sauce for all UI elements, as well as how to take your skills to the next level!
You’ll basically get everything you need to know about UI design (including the designer mindset) to crush it for your projects and your career.
As a beginner, it’ll be much easier to just get as much knowledge as possible so you don’t have to go through years of struggling and suffering (like I did). And I’m basically giving you what I’ve learned in the past 10+ years all in one single book.
