Our users scroll up more than they scroll down.

We measured scroll direction across 1.3 million sessions over 45 days.

Downward scroll events: 52%
Upward scroll events: 48%
Sessions with more up than down: 31%
Median scroll reversals per session: 14

Users were not reading top to bottom. They were oscillating. They scrolled down to find something, scrolled up to check something, scrolled down again. Our pages were designed as linear documents, but users were treating them as maps they kept re-reading.

The pages with the highest scroll reversal rates had the lowest task completion. Back-and-forth scrolling was a symptom of not being able to hold context. We added sticky section headers and a persistent mini-table-of-contents for long pages. Scroll reversals dropped 38%, and task completion on those pages rose 16%.

What page of yours are users scrolling up and down on, and have you asked what they are trying to remember?