During our March 15 class meeting, we looked at some potential webpage templates. Furthermore, we briefly discussed above the fold vs. below the fold.
For those who may be unfamiliar with the phrase, it is a term often used in the design of a newspaper ... you know, those pieces of paper people used to read to brush up on the news.
Web usability guru Dr. Jakob Nielsen has developed a definition of the phrase in relation to website design. According to Nielsen (2010), “In Web design, there's much confusion about the ‘page fold’ concept and the importance of keeping the most salient information within a page's initially viewable area. That is, in fact, the definition: ‘above the fold’ simply means ‘viewable without further action’” (para. 1).
Moreover, people have short attention spans. Therefore, it is important to keep that in mind when designing for your target audience.
Nielsen (2010) further adds, “Web users spend 80% of their time looking at information above the page fold. Although users do scroll, they allocate only 20% of their attention below the fold” (Summary section).
Therefore, the most important information for the reader should go above the fold when designing a webpage.
Nielsen, J. (2010, March 22). Scrolling and attention. Retrieved from http://www.useit.com/alertbox/scrolling-attention.html
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