To Style a Scroll Bar: Web Developers Opine

A website designer shared a link about CSS scroll bars and how to design them. This person wanted to know what other web designers thought about the article and the information in it. The discussion opened up some additional ideas for learning how to style a scroll bar.

One person said that they agreed with the general statement to never style a scroll bar. They wondered about a scroll bar within a site. They find that it is useful to style a scroll bar for an overflow of components within a site. They gave an example of simple carousels that are made with just HTML or just CSS.

Another person agreed that it makes sense to not have styled scroll bars in a desktop app. They do think a custom scroll bar could be good on a site that has a target audience of children or the elderly. Those populations could use a bigger or bolder scroll bar that is easier to click.

Another person agreed to not style the scroll bar in a browser. They added that it subverts the user's expectations and causes confusion. They also don't want the scrolling speed to be amended.

One person argued that styling a scroll bar is a good idea only if the browser detects it as something else. A different person added that a user should not have to be forced to relearn how to set up a common user interface element.

A few people wondered about smooth scrolling. It is the operating system or browser that controls this. It is not the developer who creates smooth scrolling.

Overall, most web developers saw no use for styled scroll bars. Only a few people thought these design elements could have some utility, but they should only be used in limited circumstances. The way they work should also be tested across multiple operating systems and browsers, including those for desktop and mobile environments. There will never be 100 percent agreement on how to design a website, so the vast majority of designers agreeing that scroll bars is a big deal in web design. For more information click here https://alligator.io/css/css-scrollbars.