In design speak the “fold” is the location of the website at which the visitor needs to scroll to read further. “Above the fold” is a term commonly used by editors and web designers to prioritize important headlines to the user.
My experience shows that most web designers have a preconceived notion that any content of value needs to be displayed above the fold. I believe that this preconceived notion should be challenged since many of the underlying reasons are out of date.
The fold is inconsistent
The location of the fold on the page varies widely for many reasons, notably:
- screen resolution
- default font size
- browser window size
- the browser itself
- toolbars installed in the browser
Usability
The question here is not the placement of content. Important and prominent content should be large and near the top of the page, no question about that. Rather, the question is:
Does the scrollbar present a usability problem?
Back in the digital-ice-age, when web pages and computer documents were new, Yes, scrollbars were a usability concern. However, it’s consistent use and implementation across word processors, operating systems, and web browsers have alleviated this concern.
Jakob Nielson, or as I call him, “The Man,” wrote specifically about scrollbar usability back in 2005, and comments:
On the Web, users expect vertical scrolling. As with all standard design elements, it’s better to meet user expectations than to deviate.
Jakob Nielson
So, I must conclude that vertical scrolling is not a usability problem provided it is implemented in a way that is consistent with system scrollbars. Horizontal scrolling is abominable and should be avoided at all costs. Redesigning the scrollbar with flash is an insane practice and should never be considered.
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I agree, I abhor the use of horizontal scrolling. Used as a design element intentionally would be ridiculous and would cause me to simply move-on rather than continue on that page.
I completely agree with you (and “The Man”!)that vertical scrolling should be expected. I wouldn’t buy a newspaper if I wasn’t going to unfold it to read it, and I wouldn’t go to a web site if I didn’t have time to scroll down and read it. Yep — horizontal scrolling is obnoxious — but my REAL peeve is an entrance page that has me searching all over it just trying to find the way in the door!