The Effects of Parallax Scrolling on User Experience in Web Design.

Parallax scrolling is becoming an increasingly popular strategy in web design. This scrolling technique creates the illusion of depth on a webpage by making the background images move slower than the foreground images. In addition to its ability to engage users with a website, advocates of parallax scrolling claim that it improves user experience. Researchers attribute this pleasurable user experience to the fulfillment of the following variables: usability, satisfaction, enjoyment, fun, and visual appeal. We hypothesized that parallax scrolling would positively influence each of these five variables and subsequently the overall user experience. Eighty-six individuals from a large Midwestern university participated in the research. One group of participants (N = 43) interacted with the parallax scrolling website, whereas the second group (N = 43) interacted with the nonparallax scrolling website. An independent samples t-test revealed significant differences between the two groups in regards to perceived fun. Participants believed that the parallax scrolling website was more fun than the nonparallax scrolling website. The results of the study also showed parallax scrolling to be more effective when used in a hedonic and fun context. In spite of these benefits two of the participants suffered motion sickness and experienced significant usability issues while interacting with the parallax scrolling website. As a result, this potential risk to participants raises some ethical issues that UX practitioners and web designers should consider when planning to implement parallax scrolling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]