Paged vs Infinite Scroll
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@codinghorror1 said in It semms Jeff Atwood has deleted his twitter account:
@error said in It semms Jeff Atwood has deleted his twitter account:
It felt like you seemed to know better than us how our community should be run, and we were going to have Civilized Discourse whether we liked it or not.
Well, you had synanon going here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synanon -- a culture of debasement and criticism. Me telling you that culture isn't healthy isn't "whether you like it or not", it's more "will we survive as a community?"
What you want is..
https://youtu.be/aFQFB5YpDZE?t=267
What do you think of NodeBB, by the way? It has pages.
It's. OK.. happy to take the useful bits and fold them into Discourse so the whole world can benefit. Pages, however, block reading / listening which is an enormous net negative: https://blog.codinghorror.com/because-reading-is-fundamental-2/
https://wibble.fbmac.net/study-settles-debate-paged-vs-infinite-scroll
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@sockpuppet7 can't argue with that
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@boomzilla said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
@sockpuppet7 can't argue with that
I mean, they revealed only the sample size, fair enough. But at least a foray vis a vis replicability could be in order. Or selection bias.
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@Gribnit I'll assume it was the training bias. It just semms right that more people out there disagree than agree with Jeff.
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If you’re in the world where you stay on topic in that there civilised fashion, you don’t get long topics in general so you’re not scrolling pages and pages of posts.
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@Arantor said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
If you’re in the world where you stay on topic
you're definitely not on the same planet we're on.
@Arantor said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
you don’t get long topics
Not true. Some threads can stay perfectly on topic but become huge. Humor threads, for example; there's a practically infinite supply of bad jokes. Politics (
), there's an infinite amount of both complaining about politicians and arguing with people who disagree about which politicians should be complained about. Managers, cow-orkers, and their bovine excrement. Dog sagas and cat statuses. Any of those can stay on topic for years without running out of material.
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@HardwareGeek The key phrase was 'in that there civilised fashion'. In the 'civilised' world, long meme chain threads don't exist because they're uncivilised but if hypothetically they did you can just continue scrolling forever to consume, no harm no foul.
In all of the other cases, civilised discourse would imply 'reply as new topic' for each separate incident so you never have long topics, thus infinite scroll is never a significant problem.
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A recent study has put an end to the age-old debate between paged and infinite scroll. The study, conducted by the Institute for Advanced Research in User Behavior (IARUB), found that paged browsing is the superior method for online content consumption.
I have googled my face off and I cannot find this company, or this study. Does anyone have an actual link to it?
Funny thing: the google search page I am on now, does infinite scroll. Zero pages listed. Just keep scrolling down and more stuff loads.
like so:
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This is also really really weird. Searching for a direct quote from the 'study'
produces nothing:https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Participants+were+able+to+navigate+through+the+content+more+efficiently%22No results found for "Participants were able to navigate through the content more efficiently".
I wonder if this study is so old it pre-dates most of the internet? I can't explain these odd search results.
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The study doesn’t exist, the whole page was created by fbmac’s AI.
If it did exist, the name “Institute for Advanced Research in User Behavior (IARUB)” would already tell you that it’s junk science. But even without that name, the study would probably be untrustworthy bullshit. It did happen to come to the correct conclusion, though.
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@topspin said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
the whole page was created by fbmac’s AI.
Bravo. Even I missed that it was a Wibble article. The fact that it successfully trolled Jeff is
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@error It's a bit of a cruel joke, but at the same time it is quite amazing what these AIs can fabricate...
For the interested: this website generates a page of text + an image based on the URL slug. Just don't go wild with it as it gets rate limited.
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@sockpuppet7 said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
*A recent study has put an end to the age-old debate between paged and infinite scroll
Now change the prompt a little, and have the
Research Institute for Advanced User Behaviordo a new study...
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@Arantor said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
If you’re in the world where you stay on topic in that there civilised fashion, you don’t get long topics in general so you’re not scrolling pages and pages of posts.
The other forum I regularly hang out on have threads with hundreds of pages, and it's in general pretty civilized, and they stay on topic.
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@codinghorror1 said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
I can't explain these odd search results.
I can.
Google sucks.
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@boomzilla said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
It just semms right that more people out there disagree than agree with Jeff.
I see what you did there.
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@codinghorror1 said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
I wonder if this study is so old it pre-dates most of the internet?
That certainly is a possibility.
Another possibility is that the "study" never actually existed and somebody just made it up.
But I'm extremely cynical due to spending too many years on the Interwebs.
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@topspin said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
It did happen to come to the correct conclusion, though.
I'm somewhat surprised; the slug (which is apparently the input prompt) seems fairly neutral.
Either way, welcome to the brave new future of generative AI overlords.
Edit: Swapped the prompt around, and same-ish result. Picture is pretty funny.
There's of course the small possibility that our dear wibble author may have added additional small small bias to the full prompt.
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@cvi “wisdom of the crowd”. Hurr Durr.
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@topspin See edit; could be that there's additional instructions in the full prompt that causes the bias. Too lazy to go to a full GPT or similar to verify.
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@Carnage again, the qualifier is “civilised fashion”. By design that means splitting off even the merest whiff of a side conversation (even if on topic) to a new related thread 😉
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@Arantor said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
@Carnage again, the qualifier is “civilised fashion”. By design that means splitting off even the merest whiff of a side conversation (even if on topic) to a new related thread 😉
That'd be silly, and not how humans interact.
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@Carnage I know, right?
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@cvi the prompt ask for a satirical news article, it probably isn't the best gpt 3.5 can do. To get something actually useful, I give you chatgpt with gpt4:
Title: Paged Content vs. Infinite Scrolling: The Great Web Design Debate Settled
Introduction
The digital landscape has evolved tremendously over the past few years, with a myriad of web design trends emerging and taking the world by storm. Among these trends, two have particularly stood out – paged content and infinite scrolling. This article aims to settle the debate on which of these design approaches is superior, by delving deep into the pros and cons of each, and providing recommendations based on specific use cases and user preferences.
Section 1: Paged Content – A Closer Look
Paged content is a traditional web design technique that divides content into distinct pages, with each page containing a specific portion of the content. This design approach is widely used in blogs, news websites, and search engine results.
Pros of Paged Content
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Cognitive Comfort: Paged content offers a clear structure and hierarchy, which allows users to easily locate and process information. It caters to the user's cognitive comfort by providing a sense of completion and accomplishment as they progress through the content.
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Faster Page Load Times: With paged content, only a specific portion of the content is loaded at a time, leading to faster page load times. This is particularly beneficial for users with slow internet connections, as they can access the desired information without waiting for the entire content to load.
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Better SEO: Paged content makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index web pages, as each page has a distinct URL and content. This results in better search engine optimization (SEO) and higher visibility on search engine results pages.
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Accessibility: Paged content is inherently more accessible, as it is easier to navigate using keyboard shortcuts and screen readers, making it a more inclusive design option for users with disabilities.
Cons of Paged Content
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Disruptive User Experience: The need to click or tap to load a new page can be disruptive and time-consuming for users, especially if the website has a slow loading time.
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Less Immersive: Paged content may not be as engaging as infinite scrolling, as it requires users to take action to load new content.
Section 2: Infinite Scrolling – A Comprehensive Overview
Infinite scrolling, also known as endless scrolling, is a design technique where content is loaded continuously as the user scrolls down the page, eliminating the need for pagination. Popularized by social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, infinite scrolling has gained traction in various other web applications.
Pros of Infinite Scrolling
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Enhanced User Engagement: Infinite scrolling keeps users engaged by providing a seamless and continuous browsing experience. This can lead to increased time spent on the website and higher conversion rates.
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Mobile-Friendly: As smartphones and tablets have become the primary devices for internet browsing, infinite scrolling has emerged as a mobile-friendly design option. Users can easily scroll through content with a swipe, creating a smooth and enjoyable browsing experience.
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Content Discovery: Infinite scrolling can encourage content discovery, as users are exposed to more content while scrolling. This can lead to serendipitous discoveries and increase user engagement with the website.
Cons of Infinite Scrolling
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Negative Impact on SEO: Infinite scrolling can negatively impact SEO, as search engines may struggle to crawl and index content that is loaded dynamically. This can result in lower search engine rankings and reduced visibility.
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Difficulty in Navigating: Users may find it challenging to navigate through an infinite scrolling page, as there are no clear boundaries or reference points. This can lead to confusion and a sense of being overwhelmed by the content.
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Limited Accessibility: Infinite scrolling can be problematic for users with disabilities, as it may be difficult to navigate using keyboard shortcuts or screen readers.
Section 3: Settling the Debate – Paged Content vs. Infinite Scrolling
The choice between paged content and infinite scrolling ultimately depends on the specific context, user preferences, and website objectives. To settle the debate, it is essential to consider these factors and determine which design approach is better suited for a given situation. Below are some recommendations based on various scenarios and user preferences:
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Content-Heavy Websites: For content-heavy websites such as blogs, news websites, and search engine results, paged content may be the better choice. The structured layout of paged content allows users to easily locate and process information, while the clear boundaries provide a sense of completion.
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Social Media and Entertainment Platforms: For social media and entertainment platforms, where the primary focus is user engagement and content discovery, infinite scrolling may be the more appropriate choice. The seamless browsing experience encourages users to spend more time on the website, enhancing user engagement and increasing the likelihood of content discovery.
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Mobile-Centric Design: As more users browse the web on mobile devices, the importance of mobile-friendly design cannot be overstated. Infinite scrolling is generally considered more mobile-friendly, as it allows users to effortlessly scroll through content with a simple swipe gesture.
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Accessibility and Inclusivity: If accessibility and inclusivity are top priorities, paged content is the better choice. Paged content is more compatible with keyboard shortcuts and screen readers, making it a more inclusive design option for users with disabilities.
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SEO Considerations: For websites that rely heavily on search engine visibility, paged content may be the superior choice. With distinct URLs and content for each page, paged content is more easily crawled and indexed by search engines, resulting in better SEO and higher search engine rankings.
Conclusion
The debate between paged content and infinite scrolling is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Both design approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the optimal choice depends on the specific context and objectives of the website. By carefully considering factors such as user preferences, website objectives, and accessibility, web designers and developers can make informed decisions and create a tailored user experience that caters to their target audience.
In summary, paged content is generally better suited for content-heavy websites, accessible design, and SEO optimization, while infinite scrolling excels in user engagement, content discovery, and mobile-friendly design. By understanding the nuances of each approach and applying them strategically, web designers can create a user experience that satisfies the needs of their users and achieves the desired website objectives.
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@codinghorror1 the chatgpt version is actually worth reading, it agrees with you on the positive aspects of infinite scrolling, specially on mobile
there is also good points for an paged option there
at this point on discourse development, I think it may be worth giving the idea a second chance, you have more devs and less critical stuff to code compared to 10 years ago
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@sockpuppet7 said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
at this point on discourse development,
I think it may be worth giving the idea a second chanceyou're probably so tied by your initial prejudice that nothing can be done
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@BernieTheBernie said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
@sockpuppet7 said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
*A recent study has put an end to the age-old debate between paged and infinite scroll
Now change the prompt a little, and have the
Research Institute for Advanced User Behaviordo a new study...Splitters!
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@boomzilla the original
s.
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@BernieTheBernie said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
@sockpuppet7 said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
*A recent study has put an end to the age-old debate between paged and infinite scroll
Now change the prompt a little, and have the
Research Institute for Advanced User Behaviordo a new study...Advanced Users?
Nobody would believe that. Advanced Lusers, maybe.
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@BernieTheBernie said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
@sockpuppet7 said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
*A recent study has put an end to the age-old debate between paged and infinite scroll
Now change the prompt a little, and have the
Research Institute for Advanced User Behaviordo a new study...Teledildonics are their main research area
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@Luhmann huh. I figured they were about optimizing
. But maybe that's the Advanced Institute for Users Behaving as Researchers I'm thinking of.
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@sockpuppet7 said in Paged vs Infinite Scroll:
an paged option
What's funny is that this can easily be emulated since posts are snatched anyways....
