Immersive Scrolling: How every click tells a story

Scrolling on our devices has become something of a regular pastime. And indeed, with the seemingly unlimited options of an infinite online space, our scrolling almost feels endless as well. Much like flipping through the pages of a book, we scroll our devices and consume information. Unlike a good book, however, which tells an engaging and captivating story, much of the online content we consume is dull and repetitive, which makes for a frustrating user experience.

But what if your screen was more engaging? Coming to life with burst of color, animations, transitions, and a new surprise waiting with every scroll, making it not only easier to find what you’re looking for but also more fun. Enter immersive scrolling – or ‘scrollytelling.’ This interactive, personalised user experience is the future of the internet. But what exactly is it?

What is Immersive Scrolling?

Immersive Scrolling, or as its moniker ‘Scrollytelling’ suggests, is a storytelling technique that combines elements of traditional scrolling with scroll animations to create a more engaging and interactive user experience. This way, websites can tell a story as users scroll through the content. To put it simply: the story unfolds on a single page as you scroll down, taking users on a journey through text, images, and videos. Due to its dynamic presentation and immersive experience it offers, scrollytelling has become a popular technique in web design and advertising, as it allows brands and companies to present complex narratives in a more visually captivating and accessible way. It makes users more invested in what they’re seeing – thus keeping them engaged for longer.

So why is Immersive Scrolling so popular?

It’s no secret that the best marketing is storytelling. And although it may sound like a fancy new buzzword, Scrollytelling is deeply rooted in human psychology, which claims that attention grows when users are guided by a storyline. The science behind it is simple: through the use of immersive scrolling that utilizes bold colors and custom illustrations and animations, information is broken into bite-sized chunks that are easy for the user to process without feeling overwhelmed. Much like a series of numbers becomes easy to remember when broken into groups of digits, information that is structured and organized into smaller sections allows us to navigate it at our own pace and better understand and remember it.

On another level, immersive scrolling also taps into peoples’ innate curiosity and desire to explore and discover. Multimedia elements such as images, videos and animations take you on a narrative journey, one that makes you want to keep scrolling to find out what happens next.

What are the elements of Immersive Scrolling?

Vibrant Colors

The use of bold hues is one of the key elements of immersive scrolling. They capture users’ attention and help create a website that’s exciting and full of energy. In fact, UI/UX designers are becoming even more daring in their designs, with bolder, brighter color schemes that do away with the muted, safe color palettes of the past. By pushing the boundaries through the use of unique color combos, websites become playful, unusual and, ultimately, more engaging.

Custom illustrations

Another popular aspect of immersive scrolling is the use of custom illustrations. These are unique, often hand-drawn, and make users feel like they are a part of somebody’s personal story. Every illustration brings a touch of whimsy and creativity that adds elements of delight and surprise, creating a seamless and fully immersive user experience.

Is Immersive Scrolling right for me?

To see if this new style of web design is right for you and your business, we take a look at the advantages of utilising Immersive Scrolling.

Creating a Seamless, Captivating Narrative

Immersive Scrolling allows brands to create exciting and immersive narratives for their audience. By using fun elements such as quizzes, polls, animations and illustrations, content feels more dynamic and interactive, and helps users to engage in the story. At the same time, this technique allows brands to control the pace and flow of information, making it easier for users to consume. This ensures a smooth, coherent experience that excites with each reveal of new information.

Better Brand Recognition

By using immersive scrolling, brands can present their information in ways that are unique, memorable, and wholly their own. This makes them instantly recognizable, and allows them to stand out from the competition.

Increase in Dwell Time

By crafting an immersive experience through the use of an engaging narrative and interactive elements, your content will become impactful and memorable, evoking emotions in your audience and immersing them in your story. This, in turn, means users become more engaged, and stick around on your website for longer to interact with your content. An increase in dwell time will also ultimately mean improved ranking for your business, and a higher chance of conversion.

Making your content mobile friendly

With the rise of social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok, scrolling has become an ultimately mobile-friendly activity. And with most people using their mobile devices for browsing, it is imperative that new websites take into account the prominence of vertical scrolling. Immersive scrolling does just that, making it inherently mobile-friendly.

Websites can no longer remain static. Visitors are not passive spectators; rather, they are active participants who wish to be entertained, enthralled, and dazzled by your story. Talk to us today about how we can help you as you embark on your journey of scrollytelling!

By George Iacovou, Co-founder of Base Element