Parallax scrolling – friend or foe?

Parallax scrolling – the latest trend in website design, has grown in popularity over the last five years and is anticipated to be the ‘new wave’ of website creativity, to help businesses better engage with their customers and improve the overall experience that a website provides.

Parallax scrolling is essentially a technique used in website design and computer graphics where the background images move slower than the foregrounds images, creating an illusion of depth. The technique originated in the 1930s and was popularised in the early 1980s in 2D computer graphics and video games such as Jump Bug, and Moon Patrol.

It wasn’t until 2012 that website designers started incorporating parallax scrolling into their designs using HTML5 and CSS3. We take a look at the pros and cons of parallax scrolling to see if it really does gain the maximum attention.

The advantages of parallax scrolling

Parallax scrolling takes websites to the next level in terms of design and makes a site look creative and modern.
Parallax scrolling can liven up and enhance the appearance of a flat page making it striking and distinctive.
An attractive web design shows results of longer visitor time, increased web traffic and higher conversion rates.
Parallax scrolling doesn’t have to apply to the whole website, selected elements can use parallax scrolling to create different effects on a page such as, picture enlargement, icon moving etc. based on scrolling.
Parallax scrolling allows visitors to interact with your website, and in turn get a better understanding of your business.
Visitors can explore your product in more detail. Using 3D image presentation customers can control what part of your product they can view through their scrolling behaviour.
Parallax scrolling puts the visitor in charge.
Brings your website design to life.
Parallax scrolling will help you guide visitors into your site and lead them to your ‘Call To Action’ (CTA).
Parallax scrolling will help you get visitors on an emotional level. Static websites lack the poignant elements that parallax scrolling provides.
Create a unique look and feel to a website.

The disadvantages of parallax scrolling

Parallax web design doesn’t lend itself to content heavy sites. It’s more about the visuals than the content.
Older browsers (Internet Explorer 8) may have difficulty rendering parallax design and scrolling.
The ‘weight’ of pages coming from several layers and animations can increase load times.
Parallax scrolling can make the website too heavy to be downloaded immediately.
Parallax scrolling isn’t for everyone. Some users may find parallax web design as overly complicated and frustrating to find the information they are looking for.

Although this design trend is becoming increasingly popular, it is not necessary for all websites. Parallax scrolling is great for demonstrating creativity and modernism but it doesn’t mean you have to go out and re-do your website. If parallax scrolling works for your business – do it! If it doesn’t, then don’t try and make it work because it won’t do you any justice.

Here are some examples of parallax scrolling. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Peugeot

Plesilium