Scrolling Down a Web Page Vs. Collapsible Information
A good website provides visitors with the information they need without making them work for it. If you have lots of information to share, you can cram it in "above the fold," the area on the screen visitors see on arrival; let them scroll down a long page to find it; or use collapsible panels, which can expand to show more text or images when a visitor clicks on them.
Other People Are Reading
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Above the Fold
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In the early years of the Web, most websites placed everything important above the fold and users rarely had to scroll. Designers accepted as a rule of thumb that the first screen should show visitors everything they needed to find. In the 21st century, Web design firm CX Partners states, website visitors are no longer intimidated by having to scroll for information: On the contrary, if the information you have above the fold is interesting, visitors will be eager to scroll down and learn more.
Collapsible Panels
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Having visitors scroll down is one way to avoid clutter above the fold. Collapsible panels are another way to keep your website free of excess text or information. If you have an FAQ page, for example, each question could be a panel: You click on it, and the panel expands to provide information. Click on it again and the panel collapses. This allows you to make a great deal of information available on one screen without forcing people who aren't interested in particular questions to wade through the text.
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Collapsible Drawbacks
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If you want to use collapsible panels, design them for maximum user-friendliness. Visitors may not be familiar with the panels, so you need to make it clear the information is there -- and where to click to expand or collapse them. You should also decide whether panels collapse automatically when users click on another panel. If they stay expanded, this clutters up the page, but visitors may become frustrated at having to go back and re-click on the same panel repeatedly.
Scrolling Limitations
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If you decide that scrolling down will create a better user experience than clicking on multiple panels, make sure your site is set up to invite scanning. Don't put all your information above the fold -- place enough there to interest visitors and encourage them to keep reading, but no more. Don't use heavy horizontal bars, which encourage viewers to stop. Avoid using in-page scroll-bars, so that the scroll bar on the browser frame can show visitors everything.
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