Scrollmåde

Scrollmåde is a term used in interaction and user interface design to describe a mode of navigating content primarily through scrolling. It characterizes how information is revealed continuously as the user moves through a page or feed, in contrast to navigation by paging or jumping between discrete sections. The concept is often discussed in the context of reading experiences, feed-based interfaces, and long-form content.

Etymology and usage: The word combines the English word scroll with the Danish word møde/måde, meaning manner or method. In Scandinavian design literature, scrollmåde is used to denote a scrolling-centric approach to content presentation, and the term has been adopted in broader design discussions to describe similar paradigms of continuous content disclosure.

Characteristics and variants: Core features include a smooth, uninterrupted flow of content, potential momentum or inertial scrolling, and sometimes overscroll feedback. Many implementations pair scrolling with lazy loading, progressive disclosure, or dynamic media loading to optimize performance. Variants of scrollmåde include smooth scrolling, snap scrolling (which aligns content at intervals), and infinite scrolling (which continuously loads content as the user nears the end of the current view).

Applications and considerations: Scrollmåde is widely deployed in websites, mobile apps, and social feeds, where it can enhance readability and engagement. However, it raises accessibility and usability concerns, such as difficulties for keyboard or screen reader users, challenges with orientation and navigation, and potential performance issues on large data sets. Designers frequently balance scrollmåde with alternative navigation methods like pagination or section anchors to accommodate diverse user needs.

See also: pagination, infinite scrolling, momentum scrolling, snap scrolling.