What is more efficient: scrolling down or opening thumbnails?
Which one would respect the user's patience the most?
To scroll down or to use thumbnails, that's the question...while building a web portfolio interface.
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I removed the purely subjective part of your question.– Patrick McElhaneyCommented Feb 8, 2011 at 19:05
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2 Answers
The thumbnail view is easier to use. It fits more information on screen so I can see everything at a glance, it uses smaller graphics so it is quicker to load.
answered Feb 8, 2011 at 16:29
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1I agree but consider that thumbnails require two clicks (one to see the full image and one to come back or go to the next), and to scroll down requires zero clicks.– wycCommented Feb 8, 2011 at 16:33
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2Reducing the click count of an interaction is important but it should not be done if it makes something harder to use. For example a few clicks is a smaller excise on the user than never ending scrolling i.e. I am going to get annoyed if I have to scroll down the page for ages before I find something I like. Commented Feb 8, 2011 at 16:49
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1How about this: Thumbnails at the top, which are links to "fuller" content further down the page (fragment identifiers)– JontaCommented Jun 10, 2011 at 10:48
I usually prefer scrolling down because I want to see the full-sized images right away. It's also easier to share content that's presented that way, for people like me who use sites like Pinterest. However, if there are lots of images in one page (maybe 40+?) then thumbnails are easier so I can find what I want right away.
