In what situations would pagination be perferable over scrolling on the iPhone?

In the case of displaying blocks of text I know that the majority of applications on the iPhone support scrolling. Notable exceptions are ebook apps like iBooks and the Kindle app.

• Is the decision to use scrolling or pagination based on content length alone or are there other factors?


• If the length of the content is the deciding factor, what length is long enough to warrant pagination?

Answer

I think it's dependent on the kind of content you're showing, Scrolling has less friction, so the user can get an overview more easily, whereas pagination allows you to give more structure to a mainly forward-moving process such as reading.

I would use scrolling...

• if my content forms a logical group, e.g. the settings page. There I'd probably offer sub-pages for groups of more detailed settings.


• if I expect my users to want a quick overview over the content - one flick of the finger and a large portion of the content has flowed by.


• if my users have the need to move around the content quickly and easily, e.g. to compare different items.

I would use pagination...

• if there's lots and lots of content to display, although I'd be hard pressed to specify a certain cutoff value.


• if I'd like to convey an actual reading experience to my user, as opposed to only scanning the content for relevant information snippets.