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Why I Hate Infinite Scroll

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TL;DR: Infinite scroll can be tempting, but it often leads to performance, UX, and accessibility headaches. Here are better patterns—with code samples and library suggestions—to replace it.

I’ll be honest—I dove into infinite scroll thinking “smooth experience, right?” Only to learn it often turns into a UX trap. Let me walk you through why.

Why Infinite Scroll Often Fails

  • Cognitive overload: Continuous loading makes it hard to remember what has already been seen.
  • Loss of context: Without clear boundaries, users lose track of how far they've progressed.
  • Unreachable footer: Important calls to action, navigation links, and site info are hidden forever.
  • No sense of progress: Users don’t know when they're “done,” leading to frustration or fatigue.
  • Accessibility barriers: Screen readers and keyboard navigation struggle with dynamically injected content.
  • Performance degradation: The growing DOM causes janky scrolling and increased memory usage.
  • Deep-linking challenges: There’s no static URL for a specific scroll position or item.
  • Analytics ambiguity: Tracking engagement is harder when there are no discrete pages to measure.

I know what you’re thinking: “OK, but infinite scroll does have its fans.” Let’s quickly run through its main benefits and drawbacks:

Pros and Cons of Infinite Scroll

Pros:

  • Seamless consumption removes the friction of clicking “Next” or “Load more.”
  • Feels natural on mobile—just swipe up for more.
  • Quick to implement with IntersectionObserver or scroll listeners.

Cons:

  • Accumulating DOM nodes lead to slow rendering and high memory usage.
  • Inaccessible to screen-reader and keyboard-only users.
  • Hides the page footer and related content.
  • Impossible to deep-link or bookmark a specific position.
  • Makes analytics and engagement metrics less precise.

Now, infinite scroll isn’t a silver bullet—it only makes sense in certain contexts. Here’s when I’d use it and when I’d steer clear:

When to Use Infinite Scroll (and When to Avoid It)

Use Infinite Scroll for:

  • Feed-based experiences (e.g., social media, news feeds) where endless content is expected.
  • Visual galleries or media streams where users browse casually.
  • Situations where progress tracking and deep-linking are non-essential.

Avoid Infinite Scroll for:

  • E-commerce product listings that require filtering, sorting, and bookmarking of pages.
  • Search results where users compare and reference specific items.
  • Documentation, blogs, or knowledge bases where pagination aids orientation.
  • Pages with critical footer content like site navigation, legal, or contact info.
  • Analytics-heavy views needing precise per-page metrics.

Naive Infinite Scroll (IntersectionObserver)

import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 
function InfiniteList({ items, fetchNext }) {
  const loaderRef = useRef(null);
 
  useEffect(() => {
    const observer = new IntersectionObserver(
      ([entry]) => entry.isIntersecting && fetchNext(),
      { rootMargin: '200px' }
    );
    if (loaderRef.current) observer.observe(loaderRef.current);
    return () => observer.disconnect();
  }, [fetchNext]);
 
  return (
    <ul>
      {items.map(item => <li key={item.id}>{item.title}</li>)}
      <li ref={loaderRef}>Loading more...</li>
    </ul>
  );
}

Pitfalls: unbounded DOM growth, janky scroll, buried footer, no deep-link, screen-reader woes.

Better UI/UX Patterns

Replace infinite scroll with one of these more predictable, performant solutions:

1. “Load More” Button

Gives users explicit control and keeps the DOM small.

import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
 
function LoadMoreList() {
  const [items, setItems] = useState([]);
  const [page, setPage] = useState(1);
 
  useEffect(() => {
    fetch(`/api/items?page=${page}`)
      .then(res => res.json())
      .then(data => setItems(prev => [...prev, ...data]));
  }, [page]);
 
  return (
    <>
      <ul>{items.map(i => <li key={i.id}>{i.title}</li>)}</ul>
      <button onClick={() => setPage(p => p + 1)}>Load More</button>
    </>
  );
}

2. Virtualized Lists (Windowing)

Render only visible rows to handle large data sets without slowing down.

npm install react-window
import { FixedSizeList as List } from 'react-window';
 
function VirtualList({ items }) {
  return (
    <List
      height={600}
      itemCount={items.length}
      itemSize={50}
      width="100%"
    >
      {({ index, style }) => (
        <div style={style}>{items[index].title}</div>
      )}
    </List>
  );
}

Try: react-window, react-virtualized, react-virtuoso.

3. Pagination

Classic numbered pages work great for SEO and shareability.

// Next.js getServerSideProps example
export async function getServerSideProps({ query }) {
  const page = query.page || 1;
  const res = await fetch(`https://api.example.com/items?page=${page}`);
  return { props: { items: await res.json(), page } };
}

4. Filtering & Sorting

Let users narrow down results instead of scrolling endlessly.

function FilterableList({ items }) {
  const [q, setQ] = useState('');
  const filtered = items.filter(i => i.title.includes(q));
  return (
    <>
      <input value={q} onChange={e => setQ(e.target.value)} placeholder="Search..." />
      <ul>{filtered.map(i => <li key={i.id}>{i.title}</li>)}</ul>
    </>
  );
}

Recommended Libraries & Tools

  • react-infinite-scroll-component (if you must)
  • react-window / react-virtualized / react-virtuoso
  • @tanstack/react-query for fetching with useInfiniteQuery
  • Lodash’s throttle/debounce for scroll events
  • Use Intersection Observer over onscroll whenever possible

Conclusion

Infinite scroll may look cool, but it complicates UX, performance, and accessibility. Choose a pattern or library that keeps your app predictable, performant, and friendly to all users.

Happy coding! 🚀

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